Telangana govt informs centre it will follow LARR rules, 2014

Hyderabad: Telangana government has informed the centre that it was going to follow Telangana State Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act’s rules framed by UPA-II government in 2014,

“if deemed necessary” in displacing the households living on the banks of the Musi River, while implementing the Musi Riverfront Development Project.

During the question hour in the Rajya Sabha during the winter session of the parliament on Wednesday, November 27, BRS MP KR Suresh Reddy sought to know whether the centre was going to intervene in the issue of widespread homelessness being caused by the demolitions along the Musi River, and if there were any general guidelines being followed with respect to the demolitions in Hyderabad.

Answering that question, Union minister of state for housing and urban affairs Tokhan Sahu replied stating that as per the 12th schedule of the constitution, urban planning has been the responsibility of urban local bodies (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation), and that the centre would only financially and technically support the states.

The minister also informed that the state government has submitted to the centre that 15,000 houses have been given to the people living on the river bed and in the buffer zone of the Musi River on humanitarian grounds.

“As informed by the State of Telangana, Musi Riverfront Development Project is an initiative of the state government addressing pollution, mitigating urban floods and restoring the ecological balance of the river. The state government has informed that the project involves no widespread demolitions or homelessness, as it includes a well-planned rehabilitation and resettlement process for affected households,” the centre’s answer read.