VIJAYAWADA: The Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) of the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP), approved almost four months ago, is still pending with the Centre even though the State Water Resources department has been actively pursuing the matter. With the State government chalking out a strategy to complete the project by the end of 2021/early 2022, the State government officials said that release of funds was critical as a major part of land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (LARR) is pending, and are expecting that the pending bills are cleared at the earliest.
The RCE committee of the Union Jal Shakti Ministry had given clearance for Rs 47,725.74 crore (at 2016-17 price level) in the first week of March. “It has been four months almost and the file is still with the ministry. “The reimbursement of `2,300 crore bills we sought months ago is also pending. Though the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), an agency under the Union Jal Shakti Ministry itself, approved the bills and the Central Water Commission (CWC) has cleared them, they still haven’t been forwarded to the Department of Expenditure, Union Ministry of Finance.
When we can complete the works, of the national project, by next year is dependent on regular funds release,” a senior official explained. However, the officials expect that the process of reimbursement and RCE funds release will gain momentum as all the requisite details sought by the Union ministry, such as the audit statement of expenditure made and others, have been furnished. In the meantime, Andhra Pradesh has allocated almost `4,800 crore for the national project in the present year’s budget to expedite the LARR process. Giving priority to rehabilitation and resettlement (R and R), the officials too have geared up to complete the R and R colonies for the first contour (+41.15 m) soon.