Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy raised serious concerns about calling Hyderabad a global city when commuters spend 2-4 hours travelling just one kilometer after two hours of rain. His remarks came a day after heavy rains and thunderstorms brought the city to a complete standstill on Tuesday. The Chief Minister himself experienced the traffic chaos firsthand when he was forced to take an RTC bus to reach the Mahila Shakti Scheme public meeting at Parade Grounds after being caught in severe traffic congestion.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Future City Development Authority (FCDA) building in Bharat Future City on Wednesday, June 10, Revanth Reddy questioned who was responsible for the flood situation plaguing the city. He directly blamed the encroachment of lakes, ponds and parks for the crisis, stating that instead of merging with waterbodies, rainwater was spilling onto roads and causing massive traffic jams across Hyderabad. The Chief Minister emphasized that unauthorized constructions on water bodies were the root cause of the city’s flooding problems during monsoon season.
The Chief Minister cited the restoration work undertaken by his government on several water bodies including Bun-Rukn Ud Dowla, Tummidikunta, Sunnam Cheruvu and Bathukamma Kunta lakes. He alleged that the previous BRS regime had allowed rampant encroachments on these vital water bodies. In a pointed accusation, Revanth claimed that BRS Amberpet constituency in-charge Yedla Sudhakar Reddy had been gifted 15 acres of Bathukamma Kunta land for encroachment because he showered rose petals from a helicopter during former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s visit to the area.
Regarding Bharat Future City, the Chief Minister announced that several villages in Kalwakurthy Assembly constituency have been formally merged with the FCDA. He stated that more villages would be incorporated after proper discussions with stakeholders. Responding to T Harish Rao’s recent statement that the Future City Project would be replaced by Pharma City once BRS returns to power, Revanth dismissed the claim and mocked the senior BRS leader, saying those making such statements have no political future and warning that they would not even maintain their opposition status next time.
Drawing historical parallels, the Chief Minister invoked the legacy of the Nizam, asking if Hyderabad’s economy would be what it is today had the Nizam not established businesses and markets from Charminar to Gulzar Haus and from MJ Market to Kabootar Khana. He recalled how the Nizam responded to the 1908 floods in the Musi river by building twin reservoirs to address flooding problems. Revanth also noted that there was similar opposition from political parties when earlier governments tried to build the Outer Ring Road, Hyderabad Airport at Shamshabad, Genome Valley, Hitech City and Cyberabad.
The Chief Minister announced that the FCDA building has been constructed in just 150 days and declared that Future City will be the venue for holding the next Global Summit in December 2026 to attract international investments and create employment opportunities for youth. He expressed confidence that Future City will become one of the great cities in the world, positioning it as a key driver of economic development in Telangana.
