VIJAYAWADA: With an objective to put the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) process of Polavaram Irrigation Project on fast track, the State government is planning to ask the Centre to increase the limit of annual disbursal to be done through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development’s (NABARD) Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF). The State government aims at completing the R&R process simultaneously with the civil works so that water can be utilised from the project, expected to be ready by mid-2021.
Even though the civil works of the national project gained momentum in the last three years, the R&R process missed several targets with about Rs 27,000 crore worth works are pending, according to the officials.
Now with the YSRC government determined to complete the project by June, 2021, the Water Resources department plans to complete the R&R process by next year. “Unlike the civil works’ expenditure, which is relatively lesser compared to the entire cost and can be reimbursed later, Rehabilitation and Resettlement is direct cash payment. The State exchequer with its present financial constraints may not be in a position to allocate money as and when required. So, we are going to ask the Union Ministry of Finance to raise the LTIF limit to at least Rs 10,000 crore or Rs 20,000 crore per annum so that we can put things on fast track,” a senior official from the Water Resources department told TNIE. The speed of execution of works is directly proportional to the rate of release of funds, the official noted.
The State is also likely to request the Centre to cut down the number of steps in the fund transfer process. As of now, after the Union Ministry of Water Resources clears the proposal and recommends release of money, the Union Ministry of Finance examines the file. Upon examination and approval, it will ask NABARD to release LTIF to the National Water Development Agency (NWDA), which will in turn forward it to the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA). The State will draw the funds from the PPA. “We are planning to ask the Centre to cut down the steps and directly give it to the PPA or the State,” the official added.
For the record, the Centre introduced LTIF in its last term in order to expedite the execution of major and medium irrigation projects in various States. NABARD raises money, as and when required, directly from the markets by issuance of bonds. Since the quantum of fund release by NABARD depends on the Union Ministry of Finance, only a certain amount is given to the project authorities concerned. Though the State has sought Rs 3,000 crore towards reimbursement of funds already spent, the Union Ministry of Finance approved the release of Rs 1,850 crore on November 8.
File complaint with panel: NHRC
Vijayawada: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked activist Pentapali Pulla Rao, who had filed a complaint with the commission alleging violation of human rights and forced eviction of people for the construction of Polavaram, to make a representation before the national monitoring committee of the department of land records. The commission said that the committee would reopen all the cases and look into the grievances of the complainant and others, if any, particular to rehabilitation of displaced people. The NHRC had requested the committee to pass orders at the earliest.