VIJAYAWADA: With only three months left for the completion of rehabilitation of Polavaram project-affected families (PAF), the Water Resources department has sought immediate release of Rs 300 crore from the Finance department. Around 16,800 families have to be moved to rehabilitation and resettlement colonies and the government aims to complete the process by May. The rehabilitation and resettlement (R and R) for the first phase of Polavaram project — +41.15 m contour — requires Rs 3,166.12 crore.
With funds hard to come by from the Centre and the finance department expressing its inability to release such a huge amount at once, the officials, who are running against a deadline, seeks funds for completion of R&R colonies. “The R&R colonies need around Rs 300 crore. So, we recently sought the release of the same so that at least PAFs can be relocated to the R&R colonies by May,” a senior official explained.
Once the families are rehabilitated, the compensation could be given, the official noted. The department plans to complete the first phase works by the latter half of the year. Sources said the Water Resources department sought an allocation of about Rs 10,000 crore for Polavaram project alone in the upcoming State budget. For the record, the average budgetary allocation for the entire water resources department in the annual budget is around Rs 8,000 crore to Rs 13,000 crore. But, with unavailability of funds, it is learnt that the finance department expressed its inability to release the same.
Immediate availability of funds is critical for the completion of the national project by December, 2021. With the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) also getting financial concurrence from the Centre last month, almost a year after Technical Advisory Committee’s nod, the State Water resources department expects that the availability of funds will improve in the coming months.
Asked about the status of approval of the RCE, an official noted, “The financial concurrence is done. It will be shortly sent to the Union Cabinet for approval.” The same is expected to be done after the conclusion of the Parliament session.
Project-hit families