Musi basin villages seek Rs 1,000 cr welfare push

Submit a ten-point charter of demands to Dy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, Ministers Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar

10 Key Demands

■   Ministerial committee should visit villages and hear people directly

■   Include local communities as stakeholders in the project

■   Extend project coverage up to the full Musi stretch

■   Allocate ₹1,000 crore for welfare of 70 affected villages

■   Set up RO drinking water plants in all villages

■   Restore and repair traditional irrigation canals and systems

■   Clean and desilt polluted tanks before releasing treated water

■   Announce special package for fisherfolk and revive fisheries

■   Provide financial support to farmers, shepherds, and toddy workers

■   Establish better health- care centers for pollution related illnesses

MAHESH AVADHUTHA I hyderabad

Residents of villages along the Musi basin have submitted a ten-point charter of demands, urging the government to move beyond boardroom planning and directly engage with communities living along the river. They called for on-ground consultations, insisting that the ministerial sub-committee conduct field visits to affected habitations to understand the realities shaped by decades of pollution and neglect.

The villagers stressed that the success of the Musi Rejuvenation project depends on meaningful community participation. Key demands include extending the project beyond Gourelli village to Solipeta village in Kethepally mandal of Nalgonda district, and allocating ₹1,000 crore for the welfare of nearly 70 affected villages.

They also sought the establishment of RO water plants, restoration of traditional irrigation systems from the Nizam era, desilting of polluted tanks, and special financial packages for occupational groups impacted by pollution.

Highlighting health concerns, the petition called for cluster-level healthcare centres equipped to treat pollution-related ailments, especially among women and children.

The villagers underscored that development must be inclusive, transparent, and sensitive to those who have endured environmental neglect for decades. They said true rejuvenation must restore both the river and the lives dependent on it.

The petition was signed by representatives from multiple communities across Musi basin villages, including Musi Shankar (Musi Parirakshana Samiti, Edulabad), Balraj Goud (Goud community), Chiluveri Ilaiah (Yadava), Gundolla Linga Swamy (Shalivahana), Pulamoni Basavaiah (Mudiraj), Siripani Ilaiah (Dalit groups), and Malyala Balayya (Nai Brahmin), reflecting a broad social coalition of affected rural communities.