The Musi rejuvenation project launched by the state government found its response in the legislature on Wednesday when the main opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti staged a walkout from the House alleging widespread corruption in the project.
Industry and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu’s patient explanation of the government’s efforts to raise funds for a prestigious project to convert the Musi river, which is currently like a drain, into a living river – went in vain as BRS members walked out of the House accusing the government of indulging in loot to the tune of ₹1.5 lakh crore in the name of the project.
Responding to a question during question hour this morning, Mr. Sridhar Babu explained that the detailed project report for the first phase of the project was submitted in February this year by Meinhardt, which was registered in December 2024.
The government therefore sent a funding proposal to the Asian Development Bank, which was satisfied with the project and evaluated the DPR. “We expect ADB to approve the project in its next board meeting,” he said.
However, BRS MLA and working president KT Rama Rao quoted the minister as saying in January that it would take 18 months to prepare the DPR and asked, “What miracle has it been possible to prepare the DPR in less than two months?”
Mr. Rama Rao cited letters addressed to the ADB to representatives of the Musi Jan Andolan that it has not yet received the DPR and alleged that the Minister is misleading the House. In addition, the agency involved in the preparation of DPR was blacklisted in some countries, but the government continued to award work to the same firm. “Even without the DPR, the government is giving notices to residents who are terrorizing them,” he claimed.
However, Mr. Sridhar Babu explained that the Ministry of Economic Affairs expressed its satisfaction with the project and handed it over to ADB, which also expressed its approval in principle.
“We are exploring options to use assistance from other financial institutions or in a public-private partnership mode if ADB is not convinced about the DPR,” he said. Na Meinhardt said the firm has been involved in various projects in the country and abroad and has not been blacklisted or banned by the central government.
Mr. Rama Rao, however, quoted Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy as saying that the project would have cost ₹ 1.5 crore in the past, but the minister said the government had asked for assistance of around ₹ 6,000 crore. “It is not clear what amount of money is required for the project. Even senior officials entrusted with the project say there is no DPR,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who intervened at this juncture, criticized the BRS for trying to obstruct major projects initiated in the interest of the state. The Musi project was conceived to alleviate the problems of the people living in deplorable conditions in the area, but the BRS was against alleviating the plight of these sections, he said.
Unconvinced by the response, Mr. Rama Rao walked out of the House along with his party members to register his protest against the way the government was proceeding with the project.
Published – 18 March 2026 21:20 IST
