VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said the State government will open an escrow account in a week’s time to facilitate a smoother transition of Polavaram project works to Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd from Transstroy (India) Ltd.
The Chief Minister said the government will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the multipurpose project is completed by the end of 2019. Speaking at the Telugu Desam Party State level workshop in Undavalli on Sunday, Chandrababu Naidu said that the State will make up for the three months’ time that got wasted.
“The Union Water Resources Secretary, who had written to us, played a mischief (by asking government to stop the fresh tender process), which resulted in wastage of valuable time. I had to meet Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari to resolve the issues,” he said. The TDP chief also hoped that the Union government will release the pending funds to expedite the Polavaram works.
“The Union government has to release Rs 3,017 crore as the reimbursement of the funds spent by the State government. We have also submitted a detailed project report (DPR) as per 2013-14 rates which escalated the project cost to Rs 58,000 crore. I hope it will be approved soon so that we can draw the remaining funds,” he said.
He explained that with 295 lakh cubic metres of earthworks, 9 per cent of right canal works, 42 per cent of left canal, 65 per cent head works, 28 per cent of spillway and 89 per cent of spill channel works pending, it will take two years from now for the project to be ready.
“In the meantime, we will use Purushottapatnam Lift Scheme and Chintalapudi Lift Scheme, which will be ready by June, to divert water to Krishna,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that the estimates to interlink Godavari and Pennar are ready and that the works will begin this year. “Other pending irrigation projects will also be ready this year,” he averred.