KTR accuses Revanth Reddy of misusing public funds under Musi River projectv

HYDERABAD: BRS Working President K Taraka Rama Rao has launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, accusing him of planning to misuse public funds under the guise of the Musi River revitalisation project.

Speaking in Hyderabad’s Nagole area, where he inspected a newly constructed Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), KTR alleged that Revanth Reddy was inflating the project costs.

KTR pointed out that while the previous BRS government had allocated Rs 26,000 crore for the full restoration of the Musi River, Revanth Reddy had claimed the project would cost Rs 1.5 lakh crore. He accused the Chief Minister of using the Musi project as an excuse to loot public money. KTR further alleged that Revanth Reddy was involved in collecting illegal funds from builders under the pretext of the “HYDRAA” project.

Addressing the gathering, KTR stated that the Musi River, which flows for 57.7 kilometres through Hyderabad, had been neglected by previous Congress and TDP governments, which turned it into a dumping ground for waste. Under the BRS government, Rs 3,800 crore had been invested in building 31 STPs to clean the city's sewage, making Hyderabad the only city in South Asia to treat 100% of its wastewater. The clean water from these STPs, KTR said, would be directed towards Nalgonda district.

KTR also slammed Revanth Reddy for labelling residents in Musi's buffer zone as encroachers. He questioned the legitimacy of demolishing houses without a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and urged affected residents to stand up to authorities trying to displace them. He vowed that the BRS party would support Musi residents against any unjust actions.

The BRS leader reiterated his plans for Hyderabad, including building a 180-kilometre ring road around Amaravati and constructing 15 bridges over the Musi River. He announced that Rs 545 crore had already been sanctioned for these bridges, and plans were in place to build a road-cum-bridge-cum-check-dam along the river. KTR dismissed Revanth Reddy's claims, asserting that BRS had already completed much of the required infrastructure work, and no new plans were necessary.

Drawing a comparison, KTR pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spent Rs 40,000 crore on the Namami Gange project, while Revanth Reddy was proposing to spend Rs 2,700 crore per kilometre for Musi’s restoration. He argued that Musi required practical solutions, such as constructing retaining walls and expressways along its banks, not exaggerated budgets.

He also highlighted the impact of the drainage improvement works done under BRS rule, which had saved many flood-prone areas from submerging during heavy rains. He warned that BRS would not remain silent if the Congress or any other party took actions that harmed the public, promising to protect the interests of Musi's surrounding communities.

LB Nagar MLA Devireddy Sudheer Reddy echoed KTR's sentiments, emphasising that the Rs 3,800 crore spent on the 31 STPs would ensure clean water flow into Musi. He criticised the Congress government for lacking a DPR or estimation for the Musi project, further accusing them of misleading the public with false promises.