Hyderabad: The Telangana government is working on the Gandhi Sarovar project as part of a plan to rejuvenate the Musi River. Recently, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) accused the government of forcing people to leave their homes and planning to spend Rs 5,000 crore on a Gandhi statue without a proper report.
In response to these allegations, the government clarified on February 19 that the project is still in the planning phase and no budget has been finalized. On March 7, the government shared estimated costs for the project’s components.
The entire first phase of the Musi rejuvenation is estimated at Rs 5,812.4 crore, and the Gandhi Sarovar Project itself will cost Rs 395.4 crore. This includes Rs 73.8 crore for the statue, Rs 22.6 crore for the platform, Rs 220 crore for the museum and building, and Rs 79 crore for mechanical works.
Two project stretches, from Himayath Sagar to Bapu Ghat and Osman Sagar to Bapu Ghat, are expected to cost Rs 1,684 crore and Rs 1,992 crore, respectively. Rs 1,596 crore is set aside for taxes and other expenses.
The main goals of the Gandhi Sarovar Project include ecological restoration, sustainable urban development, and improving the riverfront. On February 12, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy invited Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to the project’s foundation ceremony. He mentioned that in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were immersed at the confluence of the Esa and Musi rivers. The government plans to transform Bapu Ghat into a landmark honoring Gandhi’s ideals.
The project will feature a “Gandhi Circle of Unity” and the tallest Gandhi statue at the river confluence. Last September, Revanth Reddy requested 98.20 acres of defense land for this project.
