Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy criticized the Opposition parties for their complaints about the Musi Rejuvenation project. On Thursday, he challenged Opposition leaders like KT Rama Rao, T Harish Rao, and Eatala Rajender to live in houses on the riverbed for three months. He said if they found the living conditions good, he would cancel the project.
During a press conference at the Secretariat, Reddy expressed his disapproval of the Opposition. He accused them of corruption over the past ten years and said they were now trying to block the project for their own reasons.
“There is more dirt in their minds than in the Musi river,” Reddy remarked. He suggested that KTR, Harish Rao, and Eatala should stay by the river for three months and continue their political activities from there. If they did this, he promised to cancel the project and, if needed, compensate them from his own funds. He called their actions a bigger betrayal than sedition.
When asked about the comments from the BRS government regarding possible large-scale displacement due to the project, Reddy pointed out similar opposition at Mallannasagar and Vemulawada. He mentioned that police assistance was used to clear those areas. He also expressed his willingness to visit and participate in community discussions at places like Mallannasagar, Ranganayaksagar, and Kondapochammasagar.
In response to a question about the naval radar station, Reddy stated that the BRS government had granted permission for the project. He assured the public that the radiation levels would be lower than those from cell phone towers. He emphasized that the project was important for the country’s defense and that the location chosen was strategic. Only 8-10 percent of the 2,009 acres given by the State would be used for construction.
Reddy also defended the project by comparing it to similar installations in Tamil Nadu, where no harm had come to local residents. He went on to say that those opposing the project were acting like terrorists, comparing them to Kasab. He suggested that if the BRS was truly upset, they should have protested in front of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s vehicle.
Lastly, the CM criticized the BRS for their poor performance in the Lok Sabha elections, saying they didn’t deserve to be heard. He encouraged BRS leaders to bring public grievances to the government instead of opposing projects. When asked about sewage treatment plants (STPs) built by the BRS government, Reddy mentioned that one at Uppal, built for Rs 6 crore, was recently washed away.
