Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has made it clear that the R&R will be completed by 2026 and the target is to complete the Polavaram Project by October 2026. Speaking to the media after visiting the Polavaram project on Monday, the CM said that the ECIR Gap-2 work, the approach channel work and the land acquisition of 16,400 acres have to be completed by June 2026.
“We will start the diaphragm wall work on January 2 next year. Officials say that it will be completed by March 2026. They say that the diaphragm wall should be constructed by December 2025. They say that the project will be completed by 2027. I have told the officials to complete it even earlier. I am saying that the water storage should be in place by 2026”, he said.
“We will complete the R&R package by 2026. We have set a target to complete the project by October 2026. River linking is yet to be done. There are some disputes with other states.. We will take steps to resolve them,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that IITH (IIT Hyderabad) people came and told the facts about the diaphragm wall, and Polavaram has been completed to date 76.79 percent. He said that the Center has approved Rs. 12,157 crore, and tenders have been called to complete the left canal up to Anakapalle.
Moreover, Chandrababu Naidu said that he will write a letter to the Center to complete the second phase quickly and will request it to take action towards river linking. He said that he will move forward towards clear action on the elevation of Polavaram.
According to him, the project will bring additional irrigation to 7.20 lakh acres. It will provide drinking water facility to 28 lakh people and 960 MW of electricity will be generated. He said that 23 TMC will be available for Visakhapatnam’s industrial needs and drinking water.
He said that Polavaram will be a game changer for the state. The CM said that the connection to the Krishna River through Pattiseema has been made, and if the Gollapalli reservoir comes, there will be no problem.
He said that there will be a situation where water will be provided for Veligonda irrigation as well, and from there it can be taken to Banakacharla. He said that the Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanti will be transported directly to Visakhapatnam and will go to Vamsadhara, and if these can be completed, it will be useful for all the districts in the state.
