Displaced families’ agony continues even after relocation to 2BHKs

Hyderabad: As many as 202 families from the localities of Malakpet and Chaderghat alongside the Musi Riverbed are being relocated to the 2BHK housing society in Chanchalguda. However, these families continue to confront hardships. Other affected families have continued to protest, demanding land-to-land.

Officials have started relocating the beneficiaries of the Musi River Rehabilitation from the Musi Riverbed areas of Chaderghat, Musa Nagar, Shankar Nagar, and Vinayak Vidhi. The officials started handing over the flats on Friday, and by Monday, they handed over the keys to 202 families in the 2BHK housing society.

However, these families are opposing and expressing concerns over their safety in flats as, for the last two days, they have been targeted by the 2BHK beneficiaries who applied in the previous BRS government. As per sources, the people who had applied and got selected 2BHK flats during the previous government came and picked up a fight with the Musi project affected families.

According to Syed Bilal, a resident, some families accepted the government proposal to relocate in exchange for the 2BHK as long as they guaranteed a secure residence. However, these families are also targeted, and there is no safety for them there. "The officials are taking affected houses and giving the 2BHK papers of the housing society, and when the families who are relocating themselves are not secured as all the flats are occupied,” he added. “Till when the police will be present near the housing society to ensure law and order,” he questioned.

Moreover, the other Musi project-affected families continued their protest against the project and blamed the government for taking their houses.

Some families who were residing within the 30 to 35-square-yard land alongside Musi were termed encroachers; however, they claimed to have valid papers. These families said, “We took loans from nationalised institutions like SBI and LIC to construct our homes; we beg, please don't call us encroachers.” They continued, “After verifying our documents and giving permission, now our houses are demolished.”

On Monday, hundreds of families staged a massive protest at Hyderabad collector in Lakdikapul. The protestors had squatted in front of the gate and showed their dissent over the project. They protested against the government holding placards in hand and demanded that the State government revisit its plan and do justice to them.

Srinath, a protester from Langer Houz said “Nobody has any right to remove us from our houses and we are not encroachers. We don’t want any 2BHK, it is of no use to us.”

Heavy police were deployed at the Hyderabad Collector office to prevent the protest from turning violent.