VIJAYAWADA: The completion of the ambitious as well as prestigious Polavaram project is likely to be delayed beyond 2019 mainly because of the strained relations between the state and Union government. While one of the reasons being cited for the slow progress has been the non-approval of final cost estimates, the other one rests with the contractors who are still to submit a few designs are for their approval. There are a total of 42 designs involved in the spillway, ECRF dam and the gates. Of these, only 12 have been submitted and approved by the Central Water Commission (CWC).
Of the remaining 30 designs of different components, 15 are stated to be at various stages waiting to get the approval. The remaining 15 designs are yet to be submitted by the contractors. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had earlier warned the contractors to submit the designs expeditiously. Objecting to the delay, Mr Naidu came down heavily on the irrigation department officials for having failed to follow up with the contractors and to persuade them to send the designs to CWC and gain approvals at the earliest.
Senior officials from the irrigation department admitted that negligence had been because of the fact and the understanding that TD was very much a part of the NDA and things would be sorted out anyway. Now, however, due to the present scenario, we have decided to expedite the works but we are skeptical of getting any cooperation from the Union government like we could have hoped to get earlier.
The officials believe that the project needs a strong political will and support from all quarters to be completed in time. “In particular, it needs the support of the Union Government. We will try our level best to see that the project is completed within the anticipated time frame,”they added. Arranging funds for Polavaram is going to be a hurdle. As per the set target of providing water through gravity from Polavaram after the project completion in 2019, it is not more than 20 months which requires Rs 40,000 crore. Until the revised escalated cost estimates of Rs 58,319.06 crore is approved there is no chance of further funds being released for the project completion. So far the state government was reimbursed from the Union government for the expenditure towards the project. But now chances are bleak with the current relationship between the state and Union governments.
The expenditure incurred after declaring it as national project upto January 2018, has been Rs 7,918.04 crore of which the amount reimbursed by Government of India up to February 9, 2018 is Rs 4,932.26 crore. AP state is yet to get reimbursed for Rs 2,985.78 crore. Till the Centre approves the revised escalated cost estimates, the state government cannot get Rs 800 crore. Despite all these facts, during the virtual inspection on Monday, the Chief Minister reiterated that the project must be completed by 2019 at any cost. On the other side, the officials are stressed as it is impossible to do so without a strong political backing as the project requires approval of escalated cost estimates for funds.
There are many other issues pending like the designs of spill channel, CC Blocks, bridge, hydraulic design of spill channel, design of soil improvement in clay in ECRF dam, protection of river banks, method statement for jet grouping, alignment of spill channel and pilot channel, stability of side slopes of spill channel in soil, earth dam gap III, coffer dam, training walls, river sluice gates, design of NOF blocks, deep block stilling basin, design of stop log gates and design of gantry crane where some of the designs are still pending for submission from contractors, and some from CWC.
