VIJAYAWADA: The Polavaram Project Authority has sought compliance of certain conditions such as conduct of socio-economic survey, preparation of detailed project report of distributory networks and submission of revised timeline for completion, etc from the State government when the latter submitted a proposal for investment clearance of the revised cost estimates of the project.
This was informed by Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu in a written reply to a question raised by YSRC MPs Pocha Brahmananda Reddy, Beesetti Venkata Satyavathi and N Reddeppa in the Lok Sabha. He said as on April 1, 2014, the liability of the Centre was determined to be Rs 15,667.9 crore. Till February 2022, expenditure incurred by the State government on the project was Rs 14,336.31 crore and out of it Rs 12,311.16 crore has been released so far.
Subsequently, claims of Rs 437 crore have also been forwarded by the Polavaram Project Authority for reimbursement. The Advisory Committee on Irrigation, Flood Control and Multipurpose Projects of the Ministry of Jal Shakti in February 2019 accepted the Revised Cost Estimates (RCE) of the Polavaram project for Rs 55,548.87 crore at 2017-18 price level.
Subsequently, in March, 2020, the Revised Cost Committee recommended the cost of the project at Rs 29,027.25 crore at 2013-14 price level and at Rs 47,725.74 crore at 2017-18 price level. In December 2020, the State government submitted proposals for investment clearance of the revised cost estimates. Citing the data provided by the AP government, Bisheswar Tudu said 7% of Rehabilitation and Resettlement was done till February 2022 and 67% of land acquisition was completed
As much as 94.25% of earth works, 92.90% of concreting, 100% of jet-grouting cutoff for cofferdams in the main dam area were completed. He also said 88.17% of earth works, 62.42% of lining, 37.97% of structures of the left main canal and 100% of earth works, 92.28% of lining and 83.92% of structures of the right main canal were completed.