Hyderabad: The Polavaram multipurpose project, often termed the lifeline of AP as it brings Godavari water to large swathes of parched land in other parts of the state, is at present facing multiple problems mainly due to the apathy of contractors. Engineering experts say that considering the magnitude of the work, the dam may not be completed by March 2018, as being repeatedly promised by the state and Central governments.
Of the 22 packages of work, the package related to the actual construction of the dam is going on at snail’s pace, despite the contract being awarded in 2013 by the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.
The package consists of spillway (a length of almost a km with 48 floodgates, each with discharge capacity of one lakh cusecs), earth-cum-rock fill dam, foundations for power block and spillway channels. Contract for this package has been secured by Transtroy, an engineering firm connected to MP Rayapati Sambasiva Rao.
Due to the unique nature of the work, compared to construction of other dams across the nation, it requires particular expertise and heavy machinery for completion of this package of works. However, the company says that it doesn’t have the expertise to carry out the works, in contrast to its claim at the time of awarding of the work by the government.
After dilly-dallying for months, AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu took the initiative a few months ago and government tried to rope in L&T, the topmost construction company in India as a sub-contractor to Transtroy to complete the work. However, even this is also yet to take off and it may take a few more weeks for the works to begin.
Since it is an earth-related work, Transtroy is at present engaged in digging the spillway channel to facilitate diversion of the Godavari river through the spillway.
Diverting the course of the river by constructing an earth-cum-rock fill dam or spillway portion is not a simple task like building a coffer dam, since the work has to be carried out in non-monsoon season as the Godavari had recorded flood inflows of over 35 lakh cusecs.
With regard to other 21 packages, works on the connecting tunnels on the left side and the channels (up to the left main canal) have been assigned to three contractors. Similarly, work on the right side has been given to another set of three contractors. So far, 50 per cent of the works have been completed. A former engineering-in-chief said, “My experience says that it will take another six to seven years to complete the project, that too if everything is done on a war-footing.”
