HYDERABAD: IT and industries minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu on Saturday reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to rejuvenating the Musi River, declaring there was “no going back” on the project despite resistance. “Whenever a good initiative is taken, there will always be forces that try to obstruct it. The same is true of the Musi. But for the sake of future generations, we will complete this mission. Telangana will stand as a role model in water resource conservation,” the minister said. He was speaking after inaugurating the South Zone Conference of the Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI), organised by the ITPI Telangana Regional Chapter here on Saturday. The theme of the conference was ‘Policies and Strategies Towards Biophilic Urbanism’. Sridhar Babu stressed that urban planning forms the foundation of economic prosperity, adding that true development must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability. “Constructing buildings alone does not constitute growth. Every policy we frame, every forest we protect, every river we restore, and every livelihood we create — these are acts of inter-generational justice,” he observed. The minister pointed out that Telangana had already set national benchmarks in urban greenery expansion, carbon-neutral growth, water conservation, and sustainable transport. He emphasised the role of technology in designing climate-resilient cities and called for planning that takes into account climate change, urban flooding, pollution, groundwater depletion, shrinking green cover, and rapid urbanisation. The conference was attended by ITPI president N.K. Patel, secretary-general Kul Shrestha, coordinator (techno admin) Pradeep Kumar, ITPI Telangana regional chapter chairman S. Devender Reddy, and secretary K. Muralidhar Reddy, along with town planners and policy experts.
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