Hyderabad Demolitions: Real Estate Robbery or Urban Development?
Hyderabad: Former BRS Minister and Deputy Floor Leader in Assembly T Harish Rao has strongly condemned the ongoing demolitions at Madhu Park Apartments, calling it a “real estate robbery” orchestrated under the guise of the Musi Riverfront Project by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Speaking to the victims alongside former Minister Sabita Indra Reddy and MLAs Sudheer Reddy and Madhavaram Krishna Rao on Sunday, Harish Rao alleged that the government is targeting poor and middle-class families while favoring private real estate interests.
Harish Rao criticized the Chief Minister for issuing notices to vacate houses without a proper Detailed Project Report (DPR), environmental clearance, fixed FTL, or social impact assessment. “Under which law are these notices being issued? Instead of demolishing homes, authorities should stop the sewage flow and purify the Musi with Godavari water through pipelines built by KCR,” he said. He accused the government of using bulldozers to benefit big developers, while ordinary citizens are left helpless.
Highlighting the contrast with the previous BRS government, he recalled that former Chief Minister KCR had ensured water supply, cleaned Musi, and improved civic infrastructure without displacing residents. “KCR always thought of Hyderabad’s brand image and the welfare of people. Today, Revanth Reddy is destroying lives to build palaces in Jubilee Hills and spend hundreds of crores on camp offices while claiming no funds for pensions, Rythu Bharosa, or student welfare,” Harish Rao said.
The former minister denounced the alleged mismanagement of state funds, citing football matches with Messi, Miss World events, and multi-crore STP projects while poor residents face eviction. He demanded that the notices issued to Madhu Park Apartments be withdrawn unconditionally and urged authorities to develop open lands instead of demolishing existing homes.
Harish Rao warned that BRS and KCR would support the residents and fight legal battles to protect their rights. He emphasized that demolishing homes undermines Hyderabad’s brand image and is morally wrong. “For the CM, these apartments are just bricks and cement, but for middle-class families, they are lifelong dreams built with sacrifices and loans,” he said. The former minister promised to raise the issue in the upcoming budget assembly session and hold the government accountable for its actions.
