VIJAYAWADA: Underscoring the need to complete Polavaram project, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to approve the revised expenditure of the project, amounting to Rs 55,548.87 crore, as per the price index of 2017-18. He reminded her that the Technical Advisory Committee had already cleared the said expenditure of the project.
The Chief Minister held talks with Sitharaman on the first day of his Delhi tour on Thursday. He also called on the Union Minister of Power R K Singh over various issues relating to the State. During his meeting with Sitharaman, Jagan thanked the Centre for approving the release of Rs 12,911.15 crore ad hoc amount following the repeated appeals from the State government to the pending works of the Polavaram project.
Jagan informed her that the State government prepared fresh estimates in connection with the works to be taken up under the first phase of the Polaram project. As per the Lidar survey, the government should release an amount of Rs 17,144 crore for implementing the R&R package for the people affected in 36 colonies, the Chief Minister said while urging Sitharaman to release the amount for the completion of phase-1 construction works.
The Chief Minister also sought the Centre to reimburse the arrears amounting to Rs 1,310.15 crore incurred by the State government on the project. Jagan further requested the Finance Minister to take effective steps to ensure that the Telangana government cleared an outstanding amount of Rs 7,359 crore for the power supplied between 2014 and 2017.
Stating the issue remained pending in the High Court despite the Centre directing Telangana government in 2022 to clear the dues in 30 days, the Chief Minister sought Sitharaman’s intervention to resolve the matter as it had created a massive burden on APGENCO and other Discoms.
CM to call on Shah today
Jagan will call on Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday. On the second day of his two-day visit to the national capital, he is likely to apprise Shah of the political situation in the State following the arrest of Naidu in connection with the skill development corporation case