Telangana CM Revanth Reddy proposed a plan to redevelop the Musi riverfront with high-rises, promenades, and shopping complexes, inspired by the Thames riverfront in London.
The Musi River has long been polluted, carrying around 2,000 million litres of sewage per day, with over 60% untreated.
The river also receives industrial effluents, especially from the city’s generic drug industry, making it highly toxic.
About one lakh people live along the Musi’s banks, many in slums and on the floodplains.
They have lived there for generations, depending on the river for farming and livelihoods.
On October 1, the government began demolishing 15,000 structures (mostly homes) along the riverfront, particularly in the Old City area, home to Hyderabad’s blue-collar workforce.
Evictees (many of whom hold land titles and pay taxes) were unhappy with the government’s proposal for relocation, which would move them to far-off areas, affecting their jobs and daily lives.
Similar issues of forced evictions have occurred before in India, like the rehabilitation of fishermen after the 2004 tsunami in Chennai.
The Musi riverfront beautification plan follows a pattern of development that does not involve those most affected by it.
The redevelopment plan is criticized as cosmetic, focusing on beautification without addressing the pollution and toxic effluents that continue to plague the Musi.
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