2 months ago
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The Musi rejuvenation task started by the State Government recovered its echo successful the Legislative Assembly connected Wednesday with the main Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samiti staging a locomotion retired from the House alleging ample standard corruption successful the project.
Industries and IT Minister D. Sridhar Babu’s diligent mentation astir the government’s efforts to rise funds for the prestigious task aimed astatine transforming Musi river, which is similar a drain astatine present, into a unrecorded stream - went successful vain arsenic the BRS members walked retired of the House charging the authorities with indulging successful a loot of ₹1.5 lakh crore successful the sanction of the project.
Replying to a query during the Question Hour this morning, Mr. Sridhar Babu explained that the elaborate task study for the archetypal signifier of the task was submitted successful February this twelvemonth by Meinhardt, which was onboarded successful December 2024.
The authorities had accordingly sent a connection for backing to the Asian Development Bank which was satisfied with the task and was evaluating the DPR. “We are expecting that the ADB volition o.k. the task successful its adjacent committee meeting,” helium said.
BRS MLA and moving president K.T. Rama Rao nevertheless quoted the Minister arsenic saying successful January that mentation of the DPR would instrumentality 18 months and asked: “What occurrence has been worked retired to hole the DPR successful little than 2 months?”
Mr. Rama Rao quoted letters addressed by the ADB to the representatives of the Musi Jan Andolan question that it had not received the DPR truthful acold and alleged that the Minister was misleading the House. Moreover, the bureau roped successful for mentation of the DPR was blacklisted successful immoderate countries, but the authorities went up with awarding works to the aforesaid firm. “Even without a DPR, the authorities is serving notices connected the residents terrorising them,” helium alleged.
Mr. Sridhar Babu nevertheless explained that the Department of Economic Affairs expressed its restitution with the task and forwarded it to the ADB which excessively expressed its successful rule agreement.
“We are exploring options to instrumentality the assistance of different fiscal institutions oregon successful nationalist backstage concern mode if the ADB is not convinced with the DPR,” helium said. On the Meinhardt, helium said the steadfast was into assorted projects wrong the state and overseas and the Central Government had neither blacklisted it oregon banned it.
Mr. Rama Rao nevertheless cited Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy claiming that the task would outgo ₹1.5 lakh crore successful the past, but the Minister was saying the authorities sought assistance of astir ₹6,000 crore. “There is nary clarity connected the quantum of wealth required for the project. Even elder officials tasked with the task are claiming that determination is nary DPR,” helium said.
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka who intervened astatine this juncture criticised the BRS of attempting to obstruct large projects launched successful the State’s interests. The Musi task was conceived with a presumption to mitigate the problems of the radical who were surviving successful the vicinity successful pitiable conditions, but the BRS was opposed to alleviation of the plight of these sections, helium said.
Not convinced with the reply, Mr. Rama Rao on with his enactment members trooped retired of the House to registry his protestation against the mode successful which the authorities was going up with the project.
