Tell Centre to take over Polavaram project: Undavalli to Andhra government
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: Former MP Undavalli Arun Kumar has urged the State government to ask the Centre to take over the construction of Polavaram project, which is a national project.
He was speaking to mediapersons here on Tuesday. “It requires Rs 45,000 crore for R&R package, but the Centre is reluctant to make a categorical statement as to how much it would bear. As per the AP Reorganisation Act, the entire cost of the project should be borne by the Centre. Now the Centre is dilly-dallying on the issue,” he opined.
According to him, an advocate from Amalapuram sought details on Polavaram project recently and was informed that the Centre had allocated Rs 8,000 crore for the project and there was no mention of R&R package. He questioned why the State government was hesitating in releasing a white paper on the project.
The former MP claimed that the police had warned farmers that they would be arrested if they try to meet Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy with regard to compensation during the latter’s visit to Polavaram site recently. “The government’s attitude has come as a surprise. Silence of the Centre on funding the project is really worrying,” he said.
He urged the Chief Minister to break his silence on Polavaram project funding. He observed that the Jagan government and the previous Naidu government had cowered down before the Centre. He said the Polavaram project was the brainchild of former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
The former MP observed that while the Opposition parties are supporting Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhara Rao in the issues related to irrigation projects in that State, in AP, both ruling and opposition are crossing swords. “Telangana is constructing several lift irrigation projects and if we fail to store 197 TMC in Polavaram, it will spell a disaster for the State,” Arun Kumar observed.