KTR said the Musi project is a ₹1.5 lakh crore scam and that people were watching every step Revanth Reddy was taking for the implementation of the project.
Published Oct 19, 2024 | 10:50 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 19, 2024 | 10:50 AM
BRS working president KTR adressing the media about Musi riverfront project. (X)
BRS working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) on Friday, 18 October, blamed Congress squarely if the Musi turned into a river that stinks to high heavens.
Making a presentation to the media persons at Telangana Bhavan in Hyderabad, the former Municipal Administration Minister recalled the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) coming out with a report in 2015 in which Musi topped the list of the highly polluted rivers in the country.
He said that though BRS came to power in 2014, one year prior to CPCB coming out with the report, it was not responsible for the pollution of the river. “It was the Congress before the division of the state and partly the Telugu Desam party, which turned the river into one in which filth and dirt flows.”
Taking a serious exception to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy accusing the previous BRS government of turning Musi into a highly polluted river, the BRS leader said: “I agree with Revanth Reddy that the previous rulers were responsible for the plight of Musi. The previous rulers were those of the Congress and not BRS,” he said.
The BRS leader said that Revanth Reddy was keen on implementing the Musi Project only to send money bags to the Congress party high command. “This is a ‘Musi Lootification Project,’ and not ‘Musi Beautification Project’,” he said and asserted that Revanth Reddy had come out with a tissue of lies in his presentation to the media on Thursday, 17 October.
He said the Musi project is a ₹1.5 lakh crore scam and that the people were watching every step Revanth Reddy was taking for the implementation of the project.
“The chief minister, who does not speak of six guarantees and ‘420 promises,’ appears keen on the Musi project. Let Revanth Reddy say why he is so determined to implement the project when the Congress promises to the people in the Assembly elections remain unfulfilled till now. Like Modi’s conflicting claims on demonetization of high-value currency, his ‘chote-bhai’ is coming out with differing versions of the Musi project,” he said.
Further challenging the chief minister to correctly spell the word “rejuvenation”, KTR said, that if he succeeded, he would gift him a new bag capable of holding ₹50 lakh. “Because you need the bags to take to Delhi right,” KTR chided.
.@BRSparty working president @KTRBRS challenged #Telanagana Chief Minister @revanth_anumula to correctly spell the word “Rejuvenation.”
KTR quipped that if Reddy succeeded, he would gift him a new bag capable of holding Rs 50 lakhs. pic.twitter.com/6iUKXP2Uxm
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) October 18, 2024
The BRS leader wanted to know why the government wanted to evict people who were living on the Musi river bank forcibly when they were saying that they were leading peaceful lives.
“They had been living there for the last 40 years. They had raised loans for the construction of houses. If you evict them, how are they going to pay EMIs?” he asked and said that Revanth Reddy had lied when he said not even a chunk of earth had been removed from the Musi River bank.
“There have been videos on social media in which the government agencies were seen pulling down their houses,” he said.
Rama Rao wondered why the “Musi Beautification” project should require ₹1.5 lakh crore. “If one is keen on cleansing the Musi River, ₹25,000 crore would be enough. There is no need to evict people from the Musi River bank,” he said and pointed out that if all the STPs (Sewerage Treatment Plants), already grounded, are commissioned, the water that would flow in the river would be without any impurities.
“Had the BRS come to power for the third time, we would have commissioned phase II of the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP). The first phase of SNDP has made it possible for the polluted water not to stagnate but to flow down the course of the river. With an investment of just ₹1,100 crore, it is quite possible to ensure the free flow of clean water in the Musi river.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
