Telangana gears up to launch Musi rejuvenation project in first week of April; Gandhi Sarovar to be main attraction

Hyderabad: The Telangana govt is set to launch the first phase of its ambitious Musi rejuvenation project in the first week of April.Official sources said that in Phase I, two stretches — from Osman Sagar to Bapu Ghat (11 km) and from Himayat Sagar to Bapu Ghat (9 km) — will be developed. Around 200 acres near Bapu Ghat will also be developed as Gandhi Sarovar, a world-class experiential centre dedicated to promoting the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi.
The govt had initially planned to begin work in February, marking the month when Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed at Bapu Ghat — located at the confluence of the Musi and Esi rivers — in 1948. However, preparatory arrangements could not be completed in time. The state govt is now planning to invite Union defence minister Rajnath Singh to lay the foundation stone for the Gandhi Sarovar works, sources said.The Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL) has completed the detailed project report and supporting studies, including hydrological assessments, to initiate the project. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has given in-principle approval for funding, which will be released in phases.MRDCL officials said the project will feature a 123-ft statue of Mahatma Gandhi, which would become the tallest statue of Gandhi in the country. The current tallest stands at 72 ft in Bihar. Plans also include a museum of national significance focusing on Gandhi's life and philosophy, along with a knowledge hub aimed at promoting Gandhian ideals.Apart from the Gandhi Sarovar development, Phase I works will include river cleaning, removal of vegetation and debris, riverbed profiling, flood-mitigation walls, and slope stabilisation. Roads will be built along the riverbanks — a four-lane road on one side and a two-lane road on the other.Infrastructure such as trunk sewer lines, stormwater drains, water-retention structures, weirs, and barrages at select locations will also be constructed, officials said.Other facilities planned at Gandhi Sarovar include a handloom promotion centre, exhibition spaces showcasing traditional handloom and locally made products, a meditation village for learning diverse meditative practices, and public recreation areas and ghats for visitors.The Gandhi Sarovar project will require about 300 acres of land, of which 98 acres belong to the defence ministry, around 40 acres are private patta land, and the remaining area is govt land. Within the 40 acres of private land, authorities have identified about 1,400 structures."The MRDCL has carried out a 100-year hydrological study of Musi river floods and inflows. The highest flood discharge recorded during this period was 1.62 lakh cusecs. Based on the data, a 50-metre buffer zone for the river has been earmarked and sectioning has been carried out," MRDCL managing director EV Narasimha Reddy told TOI.For the overall Musi rejuvenation project, the govt has divided the 55-km river stretch into five zones. The Osman Sagar–Bapu Ghat and Himayat Sagar–Bapu Ghat stretches fall under Zone 1, where Phase I work will begin.Zones 2, 3 and 4 cover the densely populated stretch from Bapu Ghat to Nagole, while Zone 5 runs from Nagole to Gaurelli near the Outer Ring Road (ORR).To prevent untreated sewage from entering the Musi, the govt has proposed 62 sewage treatment plants (STPs) along the 55-km stretch. Some of these were already built during the previous BRS govt. Officials said the treated water — processed up to tertiary level — will be reused for landscaping, industrial use and other purposes.The govt has also allocated about 2.5 tmcft of Godavari water to be diverted into the Musi to help maintain water levels in the river.