HYDERABAD: The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) has grand plans to develop both flanks of the river, with 13 unique bridges connecting two sides, including a hanging bridge, wooden bridge, twisted bridge, rope bridge, and a two-pole bridge among others.
In an exclusive chat with Deccan Chronicle on the banks of the Musi at Nagole on World Environment Day, MRDCL chairman D. Sudheer Reddy said that after he took over in February last year, the two lockdowns badly had hit the riverfront development project. Yet, in the five months available, the corporation has laid about three kilometres of walking track on either side of Musi.
“The current development is just the tip of the iceberg. After preparation of a detailed project report (DPR), the project will take proper shape. We have planned to construct 13 unique bridges connecting both the banks. We have asked the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and HMDA to hand over the bridge project to MRDCL for state-of-the-art construction. Since the Kaleshwaram project is nearing completion, the government will fully focus on the Musi project, since the former does not require any investment," Sudheer Reddy explained.
The LB Nagar MLA said the corporation as of now is focussing on arresting the stench emanating from the river, curbing mosquito menace, removing encroachments in buffer zones and preventing new encroachments by setting up a centralised command control room. He asserted that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao is serious about removal of encroachments, which would all go once MRDCL initiates its drive. He disclosed that the CM has assured funds for the project once the DPR is readied by December.
The MRDCL chairman said the corporation has planned 63 sewage treatment plants (STPs). Tenders for 14 STPs have already been invited. He explained that primarily, MRDCL will address sewerage issue, followed by removal of encroachments, shrubs, weeds, installation of CCTV cameras all along Musi, and landscaping.
Sudheer Reddy said he has held meetings with surveyors from revenue department to fix the boundaries of the river.
So far, the state government has not even completed two per cent of the Musi Rejuvenation and Beautification Project over the years. Neither nodal agencies, including HMDA, GHMC, Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB), and revenue department, nor the newly formed MRDCL have prepared a detailed project report for the flagship project over the years.
The government is unhappy with earlier designs prepared by international firms claiming they are impractical considering the city's topography. All eyes are now on the new DPR that is expected to be ready by December.
