VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has directed the Water Resources Department officials to complete the Polavaram project, the lifeline of AP, by 2027 at any cost.
He took stock of the progress of Polavaram and other irrigation projects in the State with senior officials on Tuesday after the Cabinet meeting. Briefing mediapersons about the meeting, Minister for Water Resources Nimmala Rama Naidu said the Chief Minister will visit Polavaram in the second week of December, and during the visit, he will release the schedule for project works.
“The Chief Minister has made it crystal clear that once the schedule is released, there should not be any deviation, not even one hour. Clarity on the schedule will emerge within 10 days,” he explained.
Reiterating that the government is determined to complete all irrigation projects to provide water to every acre and drinking water to every village, Rama Naidu said every project was neglected and the projects have regressed by 20 years during the previous YSRC government.
“We are set to correct all these. The Chief Minister has directed for the release of pending funds of Rs 996 crore for Polavaram R&R and land acquisition. Further, it has been decided to hold talks with the government of Odisha and Chhattishgarh to sort out the inter-state issues about the Polavaram project,” he said.
HNSS, Chintalapudi, Velingonda and other projects were discussed. Tenders will be invited to take up balance works of HNSS this month. The government is determined to complete the Veligonda project by June 2026, he said and added that the water policy of the State will focus on long-term gains with the ultimate goal being drought proofing the State.