VIJAYAWADA: Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu on Friday announced an accelerated completion deadline for the flagship Polavaram Project, stating that the government aims to complete all works by March 2027, well ahead of its original December 2027 schedule, to align with the upcoming Godavari Pushkarams.
Addressing a press conference at the Secretariat following a comprehensive review meeting chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, the Minister revealed that overall project progress currently stands at 77 per cent.
Breakdown figures indicate that civil works have reached 90 per cent completion, land acquisition stands at 94 per cent, and Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) execution is at 52 per cent. Despite recent heavy flood inflows of 14 lakh cusecs in the Godavari River, execution remained uninterrupted, with ECRF Gap-1 and Gap-2 works reaching 48 per cent and 36 per cent progress, respectively.
Ramanaidu highlighted that the government spent an amount of Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 1,800 crore to expedite critical works along the Polavaram Left Main Canal (LMC), including overcoming complex engineering challenges at 11 National Highway crossings and major river cuts.
Water is scheduled to be released through the Left Canal by the end of this month to supply drinking, agricultural, and industrial water up to Anakapalli in North Coastal Andhra.
To ensure seamless execution, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directed that all land acquisition, R&R colony construction, and displaced family resettlements be completed by December 2026—establishing a six-month buffer before project commissioning.
The Minister added that the state is conducting a radial survey across 10,000 acres to transform the Polavaram project area into a major river-based tourism hub extending up to Bhadrachalam, featuring spillway beautification and an iconic connectivity bridge, while strictly preserving the nearby Gandi Posamma temple.
Turning to the long-pending Veligonda project, Ramanaidu announced that following an initial release of Rs 318 crore, the State government will disburse the remaining Rs 600 crore in R&R compensation between August 17 and August 24 under a strict schedule.
Key head-works, feeder canal lining, and regulators are slated for completion by August 25. Engineering teams working in night shifts have already dismantled 1,500 tonnes of the 1,900-tonne Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) stuck in Tunnel-2, utilising specialised diamond and granite cutters to clear the remaining 400 tonnes.
Rebutting criticism regarding industrial water supply to technology infrastructure in Visakhapatnam, the Minister clarified that data centres, including Google’s upcoming facilities, require a total of 3 TMC of water annually, which will be reportedly drawn from Godavari waters via the Polavaram Left Canal.
Addressing irrigation infrastructure, Ramanaidu revealed that out of 1,040 Lift Irrigation Corporation (IDC) schemes across the State, only 150 are currently operational, severely crippling agriculture across an 8-lakh-acre ayacut. To rectify this, the State government will directly take over, repair, and manage the Operation and Maintenance of all lift schemes for the next 10 years.