Polavaram project is Centre’s responsibility, says AP Minister

e Re-organisation Act had clearly mentioned that the Centre would construct the Polavaram project and there fore it has to provide funds for irrigation land acquisition and rehabilitation, said Minister Anil Kumar Yadav

Vijayawada: Centre has the responsibility to construct the Polavaram project, Minister for Irrigation and Water Resources Anil Kumar Yadav has said. Talking to media persons here on Saturday, he said that the Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Polavaram seeking his intervention in release of funds.

The Re-organisation Act had clearly mentioned that the Centre would construct the Polavaram project and there fore it has to provide funds for irrigation land acquisition and rehabilitation, he pointed out, adding that the cost of the project increased due to inordinate delay.

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“Some media organisations are writing different things on Polavaram. They never said anything during Chandrababu Naidu regime. Polavaram was taken up as Central project in 2014 but Chandrababu never bothered about it for three years till September 2016. Though revised estimates were sought in as many as six meetings, he never responded and dilly-dallied matters since March 2015. He opted for package in 2016 under which the Centre promised total funding of the irrigation component,” he recalled.

Anil Kumar Yadav noted that the Central Cabinet adopted a resolution on March 15, 2017 and stated that it would not pay for enhanced estimates after 2014. The TDP ministers in the Central Cabinet–Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Suajana Choudhary were party to it and the AP Assembly also adopted a resolution hailing it, he pointed out

“Now they are criticising our state government. The issue has cropped up due to Chandrababu’s fault and now Jagan is trying to correct it. The Centre should bear both the project and rehabilitation costs. We will complete Polavaram project by December 2021,” he stated.

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