VIJAYAWADA: Polavaram Project appears to be on track. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu says the first phase would be ready by 2018 as scheduled.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Saturday, he said the works relating to shifting of people from submergence villages were going on. In four villages, people have been shifted and work was in progress in respect of three more villages.
The State Government has so far spent Rs. 2,300 crore of which the Centre had reimbursed Rs.300 crore. For funding the Polavaram Project, the centre was contemplating to raise loan from either foreign banks or from the NABARD.
Emphasising the need for conservation of water, the chief minister said his priority has been to ensure that underground water table remains charged. He spoke at length about farm ponds concept that he had brought forth to raise the water table across the state.
The chief minister said that the state was in need of 2,750 tmcft of water but at present availability both ground water and other sources including 37 rivers and rivulets that flow through the state, was about 2271 tmcft.
He said that his job was to fill the deficit and make the state not only drought-proof but also water surplus.
The chief minister said that by June this year, Thotapalli, Polavaram Right Main Canal, Galeru-Nagari and Handri- Neeva Phase I works would be over while Vamsadhara Phase II, Polavaram Left Main Canal and Velugonda would be ready by 2017.
The CM said that as far as other projects are concerned, the government would be spending Rs.20,000 crore in the next three to four years.
Probe into Vamsadhara Phase-II Land Acquisition
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said he would order an inquiry into irregularities that took place in land acquisition for Vamsadhara Phase II during the Congress regime. “In some villages, a very high price was paid with the result that farmers in other villages have been demanding the same price. This has resulted in the project becoming a non-starter,” the chief minister said, but made it clear that he had already asked the collector and other officials to break the impasse by persuading farmers not to agitate since it would only delay the execution of the project further.