Polavaram Delay Cost AP Rs 50,000 Cr: Nimmala

Vijayawada: Minister for water resources Nimmala Ramanaidu, replying to a question raised by Duvvarapu Rama Rao, B. Tirumala Naidu, and Bhumireddy Ramagopal Reddy in the AP Legislative Council, said that the previous YSRC government’s delay in completing the Polavaram irrigation project led to a loss of nearly Rs 50,000 crore worth of farm produce.

On Wednesday, members of the AP Legislative Council questioned the minister on whether it was true that the Diaphragm Wall had been severely damaged during 2019-24 and whether the government had decided to construct a new one.

The minister stated that if the TDP government had come to power in 2019 again, they could have completed the Polavaram project and supplied water to parts of North Andhra and Rayalaseema to support agriculture. He added that a new Diaphragm Wall is currently being constructed at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 1,000 crore.

He criticised the previous YSRC government for annulling existing contracts with certain agencies, transferring officials, and calling for reverse tenders, which left the project neglected for nearly 16 months. He noted that by the time their government was replaced, they had completed 80 per cent of the upper cofferdam, but as their successors failed to finish the remaining 20 per cent of the work, the Diaphragm Wall was partially destroyed when the Godavari River experienced heavy floods with a water flow of 23 lakh cusecs in August 2020. He further stated that experts from IIT Hyderabad, in their report, concluded that the Diaphragm Wall was destroyed due to human error, not the floods.

Explaining the project's timeline, the minister said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, with the support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is expediting the execution of the Polavaram project. He added that construction of the new Diaphragm Wall began on January 18 and expressed confidence that the entire project would be completed by the end of 2027.