VIJAYAWADA: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu aims to complete the Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R) of Project Displaced Families (PDFs) of the Polavaram Project at Contour +41 metres (Phase I) by mid-2025.
He chaired a review meeting on the progress of the Polavaram project construction on Monday. During the meeting, the Chief Minister discussed the implementation of the R&R package for the Polavaram PDFs.
Following the establishment of timelines for various aspects of project construction, officials were directed to expedite the construction of housing colonies for the displaced families and to complete the works to high standards, leaving no room for error.
“We want to complete the construction of colonies by June-July next year, so that the displaced families are able to relocate there. Once relocated, the State government can pay their due compensation,” Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said.
The State government is yet to pay compensation to the displaced families. This delay is likely due to concerns that advance payments might hinder relocation efforts, as has been the case in other similar large-scale projects. There are a total of 20,946 displaced families at the +41 metre contour level of the project, which is the first phase of the Polavaram project. Of the total, 12,984 are in mandals of the Eluru district and 7,962 are in mandals of Alluri Sitharama Raju district.
According to the Water Resources Minister, the State government has a challenging task at hand as the previous regime neglected the Polavaram project. “They (YSRCP government) did not initiate any measures to complete the Polavaram R&R colonies. Only those which were completed before 2019 are still in existence. Completing the pending works of the existing colonies to make them habitable for PDFs relocation is our priority. These works are expected to cost anywhere between Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 crore and the State government will be initiating measures at the earliest,” Nimmala asserted.
Besides renovating and completing the existing colonies, the State government will be constructing new ones as well.
At the 45.72 metres contour, the second phase of the Polavaram project, a total of 85,000 families will be displaced, bringing the number to a staggering 1.06 lakh. The State government will require nearly Rs 30,000 crore to provide compensation and rehabilitation to these PDFs. It will soon be chalking out an effective plan for the implementation of the Phase-II of the R&R package.