Centre to Release Rs 2,700 Cr for Polavaram Diaphragm Wall

 Kakinada: The Union Government will soon release Rs 2,700 crore advance for the Polavaram project, Union water resources secretary Debarshi Mukharjee informed state officials. She reviewed the project's progress in a meeting attended online by Andhra Pradesh Special Chief Secretary, water resources, G. Sai Prasad and engineer-in-chief D. Venkateswara Rao. The project chief engineer K. Narasimha Rao, representatives of the contracting company and other officials participated from New Delhi.

Mukharjee sought detailed updates on project designs and works. Engineers reported that some designs were still pending. She directed officials to submit monthly progress reports and ensure quality monitoring. When project officials requested the release of Rs 2,700 crore to maintain uninterrupted work, she assured them that funds would be sanctioned after thorough verification.

Meanwhile, the construction of a new diaphragm wall for the Polavaram project began on January 18, marking a significant milestone. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has set a target to complete the wall by December 2025, but engineers anticipate completion by March 2026 using three cutters.

The previous diaphragm wall, built during the earlier Telugu Desam government, was declared "damaged" under the YSRC regime, halting work for three years. The new wall, costing Rs 990 crore, will be 1.396 km long and 1.5 meters thick. Once half the diaphragm wall is completed, work on the earth-cum-rock-fill dam upstream of the diaphragm wall can proceed simultaneously. The new structure is being built six meters upstream of the old, damaged wall, with approval from the Central Water Commission, incorporating CSMRS T5 mixing technology.