Centre is yet to reimburse Rs 2,000 cr for Polavaram!

[Anta Assamey]

The Narendra Modi government, which wants to bring all the irrigation projects in the Telugu states under its control for operation and maintenance, has not been showing the same kind of interest in releasing funds for the timely completion of Polavaram major irrigation project.

At a review meeting on irrigation held on Friday, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy said the Centre was yet to reimburse nearly Rs 2,033 crore spent on Polavaram project.

He asked the authorities to make efforts to get the funds due from the Centre.

The officials told the chief minister that works on upper cofferdam along with the concrete dam have been completed, where water can be drawn to canals by next kharif.

The officials assured to complete lower cofferdam works by November and begin work on the Earth-cum-Rock Fill dam.

In this regard, the chief minister instructed the authorities to talk to Centre and take appropriate steps to ensure that the expenditure incurred by the state government on the Polavaram project is reimbursed from time to time.

Reviewing other irrigation projects, Jagan directed the officials to speed up the construction of a second tunnel of the Veligonda.

Further, he instructed the officers to take appropriate steps for construction of Neredi barrage, by having talks with the Odisha state.

The officials said that all the phase-2 works of Vamsadhara are expected to be completed by May 2022, where the Chief Minister asked them to make it operational within the stipulated time. 

The authorities informed that steps are being taken to provide water under the Thotapalli barrage by the end of the coming kharif.

[Anta Assamey]

Modi kutra nasinchali.. Jagan anna ki dabbulu ivvali ...