Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that the YSRCP government lacks clarity on the future of the damaged diaphragm wall of the Polavaram irrigation project on the Godavari river.
Mr. Naidu, accompanied by former Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, on August 7 (Monday) inspected all the structural facilities at the Polavaram project site as part of the ‘Yudha Bheri’, a field inspection of the incomplete irrigation projects.
‘Big confusion’
“The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) have suggested that the damaged diaphragm wall should be repaired. But, the agency that has been entrusted with the diaphragm wall work has put a condition that it would not hold any responsibility for any eventuality in the future. It leads to a big confusion on the diaphragm wall,” Mr. Naidu told the media.
He said if the State government wanted to proceed with the construction of the new diaphragm wall there was no certainty that the Centre would accept the idea.
“Polavaram project is very sensitive. The way the YSRCP government is dealing with the project is not right,” said Mr. Naidu, adding that three more years would be needed to complete the construction of a new diaphragm wall.
He said a decision should be taken on the future of the project. “The project will be a major threat to the Godavari region if it is not handled properly,” said Mr. Naidu.
Referring to the rise in the project cost, Mr. Naidu said an estimated ₹26,000 crore was needed to complete the construction of the project and implement the Resettlement and Rehabilitation package. “But, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has sought only ₹20,000 crore for the project,” he said.
New district with merged mandals
Alleging that an injustice was being meted out to the seven mandals that were merged with Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Naidu said, “I will take the moral responsibility for the sufferings of the people of the merged mandals. A separate district will be created with the merged mandals, if teh TDP is voted to power in 2024 Assembly elections,” he said.
Mr. Naidu also visited Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme (CLIS) in Eluru district from where 53 tmc ft of the Godavari water was proposed to be diverted to the West Godavari and Krishna districts during teh TDOP tenure between 2014 and 2019.
“A sum of ₹2,289 crore has been spent on the ₹4,909-crore Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme. However, the project has been ignored even since the YSRCP assumed office in 2019, depriving 4.8 lakh acres in the West Godavari and Krishna districts of irrigation water,” said Mr. Naidu who later inspected the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme.
