Hyderabad: Congress MP and chairman of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation (Rajya Sabha) T. Subbarami Reddy has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting sufficient funds for the Polavaram project and also the construction of Amaravati.
Dr Subbarami Reddy has also requested for grants and special benefits for Rayalaseema and three other backward districts of AP on the lines of Koraput- Bolangir-Kalahandi of Odisha and Bundelkhand in Uttar Pradesh.
In his letter, Dr Subbarami Reddy stated that under Section 90(1) of the AP Reorganisation Act, the Polavaram project had been declared a national project to compensate for the loss incurred by AP to some extent due to bifurcation.
He said under Section 90(2) of the Act, the Central government was mandated to take under its control the regulation and development of the Polavaram project. He pointed out that as on date the project cost was about Rs 16,000 crore and if it was to be completed in time, Rs 4,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore had to be provided by the Union government every year in the Budget.
However, Dr Subbarami Reddy said that only Rs 850 crore had been disbursed by the Centre till June 2016 whereas the state government had already spent Rs 1,804 crore.
He brought to the notice of the Prime Minister that the water resources minister had also made a request to the Union finance minister to provide Rs 3,035 crore in the supplementary Budget for the current financial year.
Dr Subbarami Reddy added that under Section 46 (3) of the AP Reorganisation Act, the Central government was supposed to give grants and also ensure adequate benefits and incentives in the form of special development packages to backward districts of AP on the lines of Koraput-Bolangir-Kalahandi and Bundelkhand region. But till today the Centre had not issued any order or direction for providing benefits and incentives.
He said Section 94(3) of the Act also stipulated that the Centre shall give financial support for the creation of essential facilities in the new capital of AP at Amaravati.
