Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has urged Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil to ensure timely funding for the Polavaram project and to resolve long-pending inter-state clearance issues affecting construction in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. The requests were made during Naidu’s meeting with Patil in New Delhi as the state government seeks to accelerate the project and associated rehabilitation work.
Naidu told the Union minister that construction on Polavaram was progressing at a fast pace, with the objective of completing the project and dedicating it to the nation by the time of the next Godavari Pushkarams. He also requested that there should be no shortage of funds for the project and discussed the works required to impound water up to the 45.72-metre contour.
A key issue raised during the meeting was the Stop Work Order issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in connection with pending public hearings for protective embankments in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Although the order is currently in abeyance, Naidu sought its permanent withdrawal. He also asked the Union ministry to coordinate with the governments of both states and help expedite the public hearing process.
Naidu proposed a meeting of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh under the chairmanship of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti. He said the matter could be resolved through cooperation, coordination and a spirit of give-and-take in the interests of all three states. The proposal places the project’s inter-state obligations alongside its engineering and funding requirements.
The chief minister said rehabilitation and resettlement work needed for impounding water up to the 41.15-metre contour was being expedited. He told Patil that the Andhra Pradesh government was giving equal priority to addressing the problems of displaced families and completing rehabilitation and resettlement work alongside construction.
The Polavaram discussions also covered Andhra Pradesh’s wider water-management plans. Naidu said thousands of TMCs of Godavari floodwater were flowing wastefully into the sea and highlighted efforts to divert and use the water through the Pattiseema project. He also said steps were being taken to develop Polavaram as a major tourism and spiritual destination.
Funding was also discussed for the Jal Jeevan Mission and Amarajeevi Jaladhara works recently taken up in Andhra Pradesh at a reported cost of Rs 30,000 crore. Referring to works launched at Proddatur, Naidu said the state had around 95 lakh rural households, of which 62 lakh already had tap-water connections. Foundation stones had recently been laid for works intended to provide drinking-water connections to another 27 lakh rural households.
Naidu requested the Union minister to ensure prompt release of funds for these drinking-water works in accordance with their progress. The meeting also included a discussion on the potential benefits of interlinking rivers in the southern states. The next steps identified by the chief minister are coordination between the Union and state governments on public hearings, continued rehabilitation work and timely release of funds for Polavaram and rural water-supply projects.
