VIJAYAWADA: Reiterating that Polavaram water will be provided for Kharif 2022, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has said Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) of the project displaced will be completed on a priority basis. The Chief Minister, who inspected the Polavaram works on Monday, directed the officials concerned to complete the project works by December 2021.
The R&R works will be taken up at an estimated cost of `3,330 crore in the submerged areas of the project, when the water level is at 41.5 metres. Subsequently, water levels in the project will be increased to 45.72 metres in a phased manner, he said. Officials informed him that R&R works will be completed by Feb-March 2021.
Emphasising that the December 2021 deadline should be adhered to at any cost, Jagan said the subsequent 2-3 months could be used to rectify any problems that may arise and irrigation water can be provided by Kharif 2022 without any hitch. Reminding the officials that from June, River Godavari will start get flood flow, Jagan asked them to complete the project works on a war-footing. “Spillway and spill channel works should be completed in toto by May and by that time the gaps in the cofferdam should be filled.
Then only works of the main dam can be taken up in an expeditious manner. At the same time, works of hydro power project should also be taken forward. All these vital works of Polavaram should be completed in a planned manner,” he said. Asserting that not even a millimetre of the project height will be decreased, he rubbished the opposition propaganda on Polavaram as inconsequential. “As envisaged, the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of the project will be 45.72 metres and there will not be even a millimetre deviation
from it,” he said.
Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) Member-Secretary Ranga Reddy also clarified that there is no change in the height of the project and it will be 45.72 metres. Stressing that along with expeditious construction of the dam, completion of R&R works is also important, the CM said water could not be stored to the full reservoir level in Chitravati, Gandikota and Kandaleru dams as the basic principle was not strictly adhered to by previous government.
Prepare plan to provide water to Godavari delta
The CM also directed the officials to prepare an action plan to provide irrigation and drinking water to Godavari delta when the gaps in the cofferdam are closed. On being informed by the officials that they are getting ready for it, he directed them to take the suggestions of people’s representatives into consideration before finalising the action plan