VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi and appealed to him to release funds for Polavaram project. Informing that the Centre is yet to approve the revised cost estimates of the project, the Chief Minister urged Shah to focus on the issues raised by the State. He reminded him that the Technical Advisory Committee had already given nod for the project cost estimation to the tune of Rs 55,548 crore as per the 2017-18 price index.
Recalling that the Centre gave approval for release of Rs 12,911.15 crore following repeated appeals from the State government to take forward the Polavaram project works, Jagan informed Shah that as per the Lidar survey, Rs 17,144 crore for implementing the R&R package for the affected people in 36 colonies was needed to go ahead with the project. He urged him to release the said amount for completion of the first phase of Polavaram project.
The Chief Minister also appealed to Shah to direct the concerned authorities to reimburse the arrears of Rs 1,355 crore incurred by the State government from its exchequer on Polavaram Project. Meanwhile, Jagan apprised Shah of the political developments in the State after the arrest of TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Sources said the announcement by JSP chief Pawan Kalyan about his party’s tie-up with the TDP was discussed in the meeting.