Irrigation Chief Sets February Deadline For Polavaram Completion
The special chief secretary also assured officials and contractors that any issue arising during construction would be resolved immediately if brought to the government’s notice
KAKINADA: Andhra Pradesh water resources department special chief secretary Shashibhushan Kumar on Friday directed officials and contractors to complete the Polavaram Irrigation Project by February next year without compromising on construction pace or quality standards.
Reviewing the ongoing works during his first inspection of the project after assuming charge as special chief secretary of the department, Kumar said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was determined to see the project completed within the targeted timeline and instructed all agencies to align their work with the government’s goal of completing the project by March next year.
He directed officials of the water resources department, the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and the contracting agencies to work in close coordination with a structured action plan to ensure timely completion of both the irrigation and hydel power projects. Kumar said both the Central and state governments were fully committed to completing the project on schedule and assured complete support from the government.
The special chief secretary also assured officials and contractors that any issue arising during construction would be resolved immediately if brought to the government’s notice.
As part of the field inspection, Kumar reviewed the spillway, upstream and downstream cofferdams, diaphragm wall, fish ladder, depletion sluice and other major components of the Polavaram project. He also inspected the ongoing Earth-cum-Rock Fill (ECRF) dam works and enquired about the pace and progress of construction activities.
He further reviewed the progress of the Polavaram hydel power project and sought detailed information from officials regarding the ongoing works.
Officials of the water resources department and representatives of the contracting agency informed him that shortages of diesel and other materials due to the West Asia conflict had earlier affected project works, but the situation had now normalised. They assured him that construction activities would be accelerated further to complete the project within the stipulated timeframe.
Kumar directed officials to prepare and implement advance plans to ensure that construction activities continue smoothly during the upcoming monsoon season without disruption. Officials informed him that such plans had already been prepared and were ready for implementation.
PPA chief executive officer Sanjeev Vohra, project chief engineer K. Ramesh Babu, WRD adviser M. Venkateswara Rao, chief engineer K. Narasimha Murthy, superintendent engineer R. Ramachandra Rao and others were present during the inspection.