Hyderabad: KT Rama Rao, the former Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development, had a grand vision for developing the Musi Riverfront. During his time in the BRS party’s ten-year tenure, he proposed the Musi Riverfront Development project. In 2017, he even set up the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) to work on this. However, the project never moved beyond the planning stage during his time in office.
Despite holding several meetings and making decisions about the project, KTR could not implement any of the plans. The project remained on paper throughout his tenure. After the BRS party suffered a defeat in the December 2023 Assembly elections, the new Congress-led government took charge. The Congress government, under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, decided to move forward with the Musi Riverfront project. They aimed to turn it into a major tourist destination, similar to the Thames River in London, while also creating jobs and boosting economic activity.
Officials revealed that KTR had been planning the project from 2017 to 2023, but no actual work was done. This included key aspects like rehabilitating displaced residents, allocating two-bedroom houses for them, and finalizing the project’s design.
KTR had directed the MRDCL and the Revenue Department to identify around 8,480 illegal structures in the Musi Riverbed and buffer zone. He also instructed them to map out the river’s boundaries and address the issue of encroachments. The plan was to create a four-lane road along the riverbanks, with a width of 100 feet in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area and 150 feet outside of it.
The former minister also wanted a comprehensive master plan that detailed roads, pipelines, green spaces, check dams, tram lines, and cycle tracks. Additionally, he instructed officials to install surveillance cameras along the river to prevent illegal dumping and future encroachments.
When the Congress government took over, they reviewed all the proposals made by KTR. After going through the minutes of the meetings, they concluded that KTR had failed to execute the Musi Riverfront project during his time in office. Now, the Congress government is determined to bring the project to life.
