FGG wants River Musi cleaning before temples construction

The Forum for Good Governance objected to plans for constructing religious structures on the Musi river banks before completing its cleaning. It urged the government to prioritise river rejuvenation, calling the proposal to install a Shiva statue in polluted waters inappropriate

Hyderabad: The Forum for Good Governance (FGG) raised objections over the construction of a temple, masjid, gurudwara and church on the River Musi banks without completing the river cleaning under the rejuvenation project. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy laid the foundation for the construction of a temple at Manchirevula on March 29. There are plans to establish a 108 feet statue of Lord Shiva in the middle of River Musi. It is expected that the construction of ‘Omkareswara temple’ would be completed in two years.

The cleansing of River Musi is a serious issue and it may take a long time for cleaning. Under these circumstances, constructing places of worship without cleaning the river is not justified, FGG president M Padmanabha Reddy said in a statement. “We feel establishing a Lord Shiva statue in the middle of a polluted river is a sin,” he said. The FGG requested the Chief Minister to take up the cleaning of River Musi as the first priority. Once the river is cleaned, any number of places of worship can be constructed, he added.