Rehab beneficiaries hit double whammy

Hyderabad: Beneficiaries of the Musi River Rehabilitation project are facing significant challenges following their relocation. On Saturday night, after moving into newly allotted 2BHK flats in a government residential complex in Chanchalguda, existing residents vandalized their household items, leading to widespread protests in the area.

Tensions escalated on Saturday night in the Saidabad-Malakpet stretch as the rehabilitation recipients demonstrated against being barred from entering the residential complex and against the other 2BHK flat owners damaging their property. To maintain law and order, the Hyderabad city police deployed personnel to the area.

On Friday, government officials handed over the keys to the 2BHK flats to the affected residents alongside the Musi River. Rejected from the complex and left without a home, many recipients were seen sobbing and pleading for assistance, with one woman fainting while shouting, “Koi hamarimadadkaro.”

According to Mohammed Iqbal, a resident of Shankar Nagar, the existing occupants demanded that they leave and destroyed their belongings while the family was moving into the designated flats. “They said that since they have lived here for the past 30 years, no one else is allowed to occupy the flats. We eventually left the area and returned to our homes,” he said.

Iqbal added, “On Sunday morning, the officials moved us to the complex again and gave us assurances of protection.” Another resident, Fatima Begum, expressed her frustration: “We gave our houses to the government in exchange for the 2BHK, and they assured us of a secure home. However, when we were shifting, we were targeted here. Now, who can provide safety for us?” she questioned. Sources indicate that many flats in the residential complex have remained vacant since the inauguration, as the government had yet to hand them over to the beneficiaries. Nonetheless, waiting-list tenants protested against the government’s new allotments in their location.