Revanth inaugurates restored Tummidikunta lake
Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Wednesday said work on the 21-km stretch of the total 55-km Musi river as part of Musi river rejuvenation project will begin soon. Referring to the development of Tummidi Kunta Lake, Revanth said the water body, which had shrunk to just 14 acres, had been expanded to 30 acres. Of the 1,372 lakes that once existed in the city, nearly 50 per cent had disappeared due to various reasons.
All preliminary processes and permissions have been completed, and the project reached the tender stage, he said and assured that the govt would take full responsibility for ensuring that no one suffers any loss during the rejuvenation process as rehabilitation would be provided to project-affected citizens. Speaking at the inauguration of the restored Tummidi Kunta Lake near N Convention in Hitec city, the CM said the lives of over a crore Hyderabad residents within ORR and Nalgonda district people were closely intertwined with the Musi River and its contamination, and that it was essential to clean and restore it. The Musi must be cleaned and rejuvenated,” he said. Stating that the Musi rejuvenation was an effort that went beyond politics and urged everyone to cooperate with the govt, he said politics should be confined during elections, while all should come together for development at other times, he said. The CM said Hyderabad was historically known as a city of lakes and rocks. Encroachments on lakes had resulted in rainwater stagnating on roads and residential colonies getting inundated, he said, urging people to reflect on the situation.
“Let us not just beautify the Musi but bring it back to life. He recalled that the Nizam had constructed Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar reservoirs to protect Hyderabad from floods. The govt had undertaken the development work keeping the interests of future generations in mind, even if it caused temporary inconvenience to a few people.
He also proposed developing a “lake economy” around Tummidi Kunta and said the area could emerge as another prominent destination in Hyderabad. The government was focusing on restoring lakes and freeing them from encroachments.