After the formation of Chandrababu Naidu government speedy steps were taken to complete the Polavaram project quickly, which was pushed to cold storage during the previous YCP regime. For the first time, the Center has not only agreed to advance funds for the construction of the project. The Union Finance Secretary ordered the release of the budget on Monday.
As the first installment, around Rs.2,800 crores have been sanctioned. These will be received by the state government under the head of ‘advance’. On the other hand, the water resources department is preparing to start the new diaphragm wall construction work from November. During his New Delhi visit, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed confidence that the first phase of the project will be completed in two years.
A key meeting will be held at the project in late October or first week of November. Foreign experts, Central Water Society, Polavaram Authority and project officials will participate and take decisions on technical aspects. At present, the officials are engaged in designing the new diaphragm wall and preparing the construction schedule.
They are aiming to complete the construction of the diaphragm wall by July next year. The central government has recently approved the DPR to provide necessary funds for the first phase of the Polavaram project. In the past, the state government used to take loans from NABARD to carry out the works.
After paying those bills to the contractors, the center has been reimbursing the same amount. NDA government 3.0 removed this complexity. It is known that the Union Jalshakti Ministry has proposed to allocate funds for Polavaram as a special grant. From April 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024, work worth Rs.1,287 crore was done. That amount is to be reimbursed by the Center.
It has been calculated that work worth Rs.12,949 crores still needs to be done. In this, the state government has sent proposals to the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) that Rs.5,931.71 crores are required in the current financial year 2024-25. It has asked for an immediate release of Rs.7,218.68 crores including pending bills and this year’s requirements.
