Centre responsible to complete Polavaram project: AP Minister

"The state government will appeal to the centre to take up the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package too," said Minister Anil Kumar

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Minister P Anil Kumar on Monday said that the Union Government has the responsibility of completing the construction of Polavaram project including the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package.

“The state government will appeal to the centre to take up the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) package too,” said Anil Kumar.

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This comes after the recent negotiations between the state and central departments, it was revealed that the earlier TDP government had accepted the then central government’s cabinet meeting resolution to exclude R&R component from Polavaram project cost and to pay irrigation component at 2014 cost only. At that time, two of the TDP MPs were in the central cabinet as ministers.

Irrigation minister Anil Kumar slammed that the then TDP government had at first compromised on Polavaram project expenditure and started crying foul after 2018. He said that Polavaram is a national project, it is to be built by the central government, but the then state govt lead by TDP had taken up construction, in order to loot on the name of commissions.

“Despite doing very less work, TDP govt had boasted of completing more than half the construction which is an outright white lie,” he said.

“TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had compromised on R&R package, under which more than one lakh families are to be rehabilitated and resettled. Now the centre is claiming that it has nothing to do with R&R package. We cannot let that happen. We will keep asking the central govt to take up the R&R issue,” he added.

Minister Anil further stated that works worth Rs 265 crores only are taken up during 2014 to 2016.

“TDP had boasted that it only will complete the Polavaram project. It further claimed that Polavaram project is part of special package offered by the central govt, which is a lie. The then central govt had claimed to pay land acquisition package as per 2010 estimated rates. Chandrababu had asked the PM to accept for 2014 estimates and make payments to them. After 2018, he started crying foul,” Kumar said.

The minister said that their main aim is to see the project completed and more than one lakh families are to be properly rehabilitated and resettled. “It is the responsibility of the central government, as Polavaram is national project. We will negotiate with the centre to look into the matter, reconsider the costs of escalation and complete the project with R&R package,” he said.

Earlier government’s compromise should not adversely affect one lakh families, he quipped.