VIJAYAWADA: Water Resources Minister D Umamaheswara Rao said that NABARD has expressed willingness to release `1,000 crore for Polavaram project, which has been declared as a national project by the Centre.Speaking to newsmen after participating in the 31st annual general body meeting of the National Water Development Agency Society organised in New Delhi on Tuesday, Rao said that the State government has expedited the works of the Polavaram project.Asserting that the AP government is prioritising on interlinking of rivers, the minister said that the government has succeeded in diverting 120 TMCs of water from Godavari to Krishna river through Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (PLIS) and saved crops to a tune of `8,000 crore in Krishna delta.
Stating that the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which recently inspected ongoing water projects in the State, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the Polavaram project works, Rao said that he had invited Union Water Resource Minister Nitin Gadkari to visit the Polavaram project. Gadkari agreed to visit the project in October.During the meeting held under the chairmanship of Union Minister Gadkari and attended by water resources ministers of several states, Umamaheswara Rao explained about the initiatives being undertaken by the government with special emphasis on interlinking of rivers.
He said that after linking Krishna with Godavari river, the State government is now focusing to link Pennar river with Godavari. The State government is giving top priority to irrigation projects and has spent `44,000 crore during the last three years, the Minister said and added that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is focusing on interlinking of rivers and completion of the irrigation projects.Rao further said that the government is making arrangements for inaugurating the Krishna inland water projects in October through the hands of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
Gadkari to visit project sitecRao said that he had invited Union Water Resource Minister Nitin Gadkari to visit the Polavaram project. Gadkari agreed to visit the project in October.