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Social activist Medha Patkar on Monday, March 9, wrote to Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ahead of the unveiling of the detailed project plans for Phase 1 of the Musi Rejuvenation project.
The unveiling is scheduled to be held on Saturday, March 13, at Hyderabad’s Taj Krishna hotel and has been described as the culmination of ‘partnership discussions’ aimed at ensuring ‘meaningful engagement with stakeholders and partners.’
Responding to the invitation sent to her, Patkar said it was regrettable that the discussions had not included grassroots voices, particularly those directly affected by the Musi project, as well as collectives such as the Musi Jan Andolan and other activist groups.
“The Musi Riverfront Development Project forms part of over 100 similar riverfront initiatives planned predominantly in states governed by the BJP and its allies, many of which have raised profound social and environmental concerns,” Patkar wrote. She added that even projects like the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat had been subjected to corrective measures following the Gujarat High Court’s intervention.
“The project is likely to displace thousands of households, including those of the urban working poor, middle-class families, and retired officials, while also endangering heritage structures such as the Telangana High Court building,” she wrote.
The activist also referred to the Gandhi Sarovar project and protests at Madhu Park Ridge as examples of public disquiet. She said that while activists supported the rejuvenation of rivers, the Musi was already heavily burdened by toxic industrial pollution, encroachments by large structures, and the destruction of people’s homes.
Condemning what she described as the state government’s piecemeal approach to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), and the absence of a cumulative impact assessment, Patkar said the invitation was “deeply disturbing.”
She urged the Chief Minister to suspend the unveiling of the project, publicly release the DPR, hold a detailed dialogue with affected parties, and constitute an independent committee to review the proposal. She also called for the revocation of all land acquisition notices and urged the Telangana Assembly to pass legislation repealing the 2017 land amendment act introduced during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.