VIJAYAWADA: Reaching another milestone, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) has completed installation of 48 radial gates of the spillway of the Polavaram Irrigation Project. Installation of radial gates commenced on December 17, 2020 and 42 radial gates were installed before the onset of flood season last year. The flood water was diverted through the spillway and the installed gates had helped in regulating the flow. Now, the remaining six gates were also installed.
Out of the 96 hydraulic cylinders that have to be fitted to the radial gates, 84 have been fixed and 12 cylinders for the six gates will be installed shortly and once it is completed the gates can be operated.
Further, all 24 power pack sets required for operating the gates have already been installed. Similarly, the 10 river sluice gates and 20 hydraulic cylinders with 10 power packs to operate the gates were also installed.
The important works of fish ladder pertaining to the spillway have also been completed and the guide bund on the left side of the spillway is expected be completed soon.
According to PIP officials and MEIL engineers, 97.25% of the spillway concrete works have been completed. A total of 3,32,114 cubic metres of concrete works have been done.
Water Resources Department Superintending Engineer Srinivas Yadav, Executive Engineers Sudhakar and Adi Reddy, MEIL CGM Muddu Krishna, DGM Rajesh Kumar, manager Murali and others visited the spillway to witness the completion of radial gates installation of the project.
The State government is determined to complete the Polavaram project by 2023. As announced by Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy in the State Assembly during the budget presentation on March 11 in this regard, the project construction works have been put on fast-track. Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a memorandum keeping the ‘Stop Work Order’ of the Polavaram project in abeyance till July 2, 2023.
During his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy urged the Centre to approve the Rs 55,657 crore Revised Cost Estimates of the Polavaram project at 2017-18 price level at the earliest. The acquisition of land and rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) of project oustees account for a major portion of project expenditure, he said.
It was followed by YSRC MPs meeting Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking early completion of the project. During his visit to Polavaram project, along with the Chief Minister on March 4, Shekhawat had promised to ensure completion of the project at the earliest and even agreed to review its progress every fortnight.
Polavaram project completion rate 77.91%
As per the data of the socio-economic survey released by the State government during the ongoing budget session of Assembly, 42.56% of the Polavaram project, including, land acquisition and R&R till elevated levels of +45.72 metres has been completed as of December 2021. It includes 75.75% of headworks, 92.57% of the right main canal and 71.24% of the left main canal. If only various components of the project is taken into consideration, the completion rate is 77.91%.