Centre sanctions Rs 12,911 crore to Andhra for Polavaram project

Amaravati: The Union government has given its nod to sanction Rs 12,911 crore to the Andhra Pradesh government to complete the construction works under Phase 1 of the Polavaram irrigation project.

The news was announced on Tuesday during Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s visit to Polavaram to review the project.

During a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January last year, CM Jagan had demanded the Centre to sanction Rs 10,000 crores for completing the construction of the Polavaram Dam. In the last four years, CM Jagan has consistently raised the state’s demands to the Union government.

The Polavaram irrigation project has made significant progress, with 79.61% of the work reaching completion. Further, the land acquisition and resettlement processes have been completed up to 45.72 meters, covering 22.2% of the required area.

According to the officials, the Union Finance Department issued a memorandum sanctioning Rs 12,911.15 crores and has conveyed this to the Central Water Resources Department as well. Director of the Union Finance Department (Expenditure Department) LK Trivedi, wrote a letter to Shashi Bhushan Kumar, principal secretary of the State Water Resources Department, on Monday, approving the Polavaram funds.

The officials further informed that the Union government decided to allocate an additional Rs 2,000 crore for the construction of the project because the cofferdam was washed away due to the Godavari floods.

The Centre has also directed the finance department to sanction the funds for the project at the latest rates instead of the 2013-14 rates. It is pertinent to note that the project cost has also increased due to construction delays. The Centre has also removed the department-wise restrictions on bill payments.

12,658 displaced families rehabilitated

As per state officials, around 12,658 displaced families have been rehabilitated. Jagan has instructed officials to ensure that the government provides all amenities in the resettlement colonies.

Diaphragm wall to be constructed by December

During his review, the chief minister inspected the diaphragm wall area, which was earlier damaged due to the alleged negligence of the previous government. He inquired about filling the washed-away sand in the wall area and inspected the vibro-compaction works and the construction of the ECRF Dam. The officials have set a deadline of December this year to complete the construction work of the diaphragm wall.

The CM has directed the officials to expedite the construction work and adhere to the timeline. Besides, the government also envisions developing Polavaram as an exquisite tourist spot. He directed the concerned officials to make an elaborate plan to construct hotels, a bridge, and the required facilities to make Polavaram a key attraction.