Assist Godavari-Banakacharla Project: CM Naidu Tells Centre

Vijayawada: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has called upon the Centre to help AP implement the Godavari-Banakacharla river-link project, aimed at mitigating the drought conditions in the state.

Speaking at the 20th Raising Day celebrations of the NDRF held at Kondapavuluru in Krishna district on Sunday, Naidu explained the plans for utilising the Godavari waters for the Banakacharla area through an initiative in public-private partnership mode. Union home minister Amit Shah was among those present. He praised the role of the national disaster response force by saying, "Whenever a disaster strikes, the first organisation that comes to our mind is NDRF.”

Addressing the meeting after declaring open the buildings of the NDRF’s 10th Battalion and the south campus of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) at Kondapavuluru, the CM praised Amit Shah. “He is issuing clear directions to the forces during times of disasters to effectively face such grim situations,” he said.

"Whenever I have a meeting with Amit Shah, he shares innovative ideas. He has advised me to move ahead with novel objectives," Naidu noted.

Pointing out that the Centre has given a grant of `15,000 crore for Amaravati, he said the diaphragm wall works of Polavaram project would be taken up on Saturday and the project would be completed by 2027.

“The Visakha Steel Plant is a sentimental one for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Centre has announced a financial assistance of `11,400 crore for the project. The Prime Minister recently laid the foundation for the BPCL and the Visakha Railway Zone, a long-cherished desire of the people of North Andhra,” Naidu stated.

The Chief Minister said the interlinking of rivers was being taken up to make the state drought-free. The inter-linking of the Godavari and the Banakackerla is being taken up and the guidelines are being framed. “We request the Centre to extend a helping hand for this massive project too,” Naidu told Shah.