Keen on completing Polavaram project by 2018, says Naidu

The State government is holding deliberations with the Centre for immediate release of funds owed to Andhra Pradesh, according to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

“A sum of ₹3,850 crore has to be released by the Centre towards the Polavaram irrigation project. Our aim is to complete it by 2018, which is possible with due support from the Centre,” Mr. Naidu told the media while inspecting the project spillway works here on Monday. Of the total estimated project cost of ₹50,000 crore, a sum of ₹32,000 crore had been earmarked for land acquisition and the relief and rehabilitation packages.

“Package will be given to all the eligible and the issues pertaining to land acquisition and the RR package will be resolved very soon in an amicable manner. Genuine beneficiaries need not worry about the compensation and at the same time stringent action will be initiated against the officials in the event of diverting funds to fake beneficiaries,” he said.

Stating that Polavaram was the second biggest irrigation project in the country after the Narmada project, Mr. Naidu said that tenders would be called for setting up 960 MW power plant near the project site for the power generation.

The Chief Minister said that he had a special place for the project and that was why he inspected the project site for 18 times besides holding 53 review meetings with the officials concerned ever since Polavaram was declared a national project. Expressing satisfaction over the progress of the works, he said that fabrication of 40 gates was already completed and the icon bridge works would be commenced from October.

Referring to the Pattiseema lift-irrigation project, Mr. Naidu said that 2,018 tmcft of water from the Godavari had been diverted to the Krishna delta ever since the project commenced functioning and same helped a lot in saving the standing crop in the Krishna delta from the threat of getting withered.

“We have released water for the kharif season in the first week of June, so that farmers would get the yield before the period during which generally low pressure forms leading to cyclones. We are working hard to complete 28 irrigation projects by spending ₹13,000 crore in the next 100 days,” the Chief Ministers said.