TD Completed 87% of Polavaram Works: Nimmala
He added that works on the Polavaram Left Main Canal would be completed by 2026 to supply water to Anakapalli.
Vijayawada: Rejecting allegations of slow progress by the opposition YSRC, minister for water resources Nimmala Ramanaidu on Wednesday said that over 13 per cent of the Polavaram irrigation project works were completed after the NDA assumed power, taking the overall progress to 87 per cent.
After reviewing the project works with officials at his camp office here, the minister told the media that 72 per cent of the works had been completed during the previous TD-led government’s tenure between 2014 and 2019. He reiterated the State government’s commitment to complete the entire project and dedicate it to the nation by the end of 2027.
However, he said that as per the directions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, the government was aiming to complete the project before the commencement of the Godavari Pushkarams scheduled for June 2027. He credited the Chief Minister for releasing ₹1,894 crore within a year of assuming office for the resettlement and rehabilitation of Polavaram project-affected families.
On the progress of various components, the minister said diaphragm wall works spanning 1,032 metres were 83 per cent complete. He added that works on the Polavaram Left Main Canal would be completed by 2026 to supply water to Anakapalli.
The minister criticised YSRC leaders, alleging that only two per cent of the project works were completed during their five-year tenure, and questioned their criticism of the current pace of execution. He also accused former chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of diverting `3,000 crore reimbursed by the Centre for Polavaram works.
Ramanaidu announced that that Chief Minister would visit the Veligonda project in the first week of January to launch works on the Veligonda Feeder Canal at an estimated cost of `456 crore. He expressed confidence that the Handri Neeva project in Rayalaseema and irrigation projects in north Andhra would be completed within the stipulated timeframe.
