Hyderabad: There has not been much work on the decade-old Musi beautification project though a separate body, the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation (MRDC), was formed and provided Rs 1,665 crore to execute it. The nodal agency has neither diverted effluents away from the river nor removed encroachments.
What the corporation has done, however, is to shortlist a few firms to provide designs for the beautification and development of the Musi after conducting a competition in April. The designs were submitted to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for approval. Even as the officials were awaiting finalisation of the designs came the dissolution of the Assembly. Officials now say that the designs will be finalised only by the next government.
The Musi project was started in 2006 but very little work was done. After Telangana state was formed, the government decided to give a facelift to the Musi at an estimated cost of Rs 740 crore.
The National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) was provided with 70 per cent of the funds. On March 25, 2017, the state government formed MRDC after repeated complaints from residents living alongside the river that the stench from the Musi was worsening.
As part of the MRDC, the state government is expected to contribute Rs 500 crore and the rest will be raised from banks and financial institutions. Work commenced in December last year, but has been stalled with the elections now.
A senior official with the MRDC said that the corporation was ready with administrative sanction and designs for the riverfront development project, but work was halted due to the dissolution of the Assembly. The first of work was to be carried out between Puranapul and Chaderghat.
A senior MRDC official said that the MRDC had expected to keep the finalised designs in the public domain in July and August to seek claims and objections. Since the process had been delayed, work will commence next year after the project designs are uploaded on the official website http://www.musi.telangana.gov.in/in probably in December after the government’s approval.
