Having paid taxes and utility bills for years, residents of Chaitanyapuri, LB Nagar in east Hyderabad have tough questions for Revanth Reddy government on clearance drive for Musi Riverfront Development work.
Published Sep 27, 2024 | 1:52 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 27, 2024 | 4:02 PM
Chaitanyapuri residents protest against surveying for MRDP. (Screengrab)
The residents of east Hyderabad on Friday, 27 September, protested against the marking of their houses as part of the survey by the revenue department for the Musi Riverfront Development Project (MRDP).
The revenue department officials reached the areas along the Musi River— Chaitanyapuri, Ramanthapur, Kothapet, and LB Nagar, to mark the houses that are in the buffer zone and riverbed.
Apart from the east Hyderabad, residents of the Langer Houz area also have protested against the surveying of their houses, fearing demolitions.
The residents took out a rally against the government from Langar Houz to the Telangana state secretariat.
While the residents have been protesting against the survey and subsequent demolitions, on Friday, the situation became tense as one of the residents of Chaitanyapuri tried to self-immolate in an attempt to stop the officials. The resident was, however, reportedly stopped by the police and has been shifted to a hospital.
Residents of 78/2 Colony, Vinayak Nagar in Chaitanyapuri, who took to the streets to protest the demolitions, spoke with South First.
“Why is there a different rule for the CM’s brother and us,” the protestors asked, referring to the stay order on the demolition of Tirupathi Reddy, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s brother, despite other demolitions in full swing.
Calling for the police, and surveyors to go back, they demanded an immediate halt to the demolitions.
A resident speaking with a Telugu TV channel V6 questioned, “How can the officials ask me to vacate the house all of a sudden? “I have a water bill, I have paid taxes, why should I leave this house to shift to some 2 BHK?”
He further questioned, “They are asking me for details of the house, I will give the details, will they guarantee that they won’t demolish my house if I give the details?”
Another woman, a resident of the new Maruthi Nagar area, speaking to another TV channel TV10, claimed, “We have been living in this house for 18 years, we got water connection, electricity, we pay taxes every year. We spent about ₹20 lakh on this house. If this was government property they should have told so during the registration, we would not have bought the house.”
The survey started a day after the Telangana government announced that they would allot 15,000 2 BHK houses to rehabilitate people who would lose their houses due to the Musi Riverfront Development work.
Issuing GO no 754, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy on Wednesday, 25 September directed the Managing Director of Telangana Housing Corporation, GHMC Commissioner, and collectors with jurisdiction over Hyderabad.
The Musi Riverfront Development Project was one of the most prominent promises made in the 2024 full budget presented by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka. The government earmarked ₹1,500 crore for the project aimed at developing 110 km of the urban area.
#Telangana Chief Minister @revanth_anumula announced that the @INCTelangana regime would allot 15,000 2 BHK houses to rehabilitate people who would lose their houses due to the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation work.
Issuing https://t.co/WQragw8V4G.754, he directed the… pic.twitter.com/B576HvN4xC
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) September 25, 2024
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula, with inputs from Sai Charan Sana)
