POLAVARAM: Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) Chief Executive Officer Yogesh Paithankar on Saturday reviewed the progress of works at the Polavaram Irrigation Project during his visit to the project site.
Upon arrival from New Delhi, Paithankar first held a detailed review meeting with officials. He met with PPA Chief Engineer M Ramesh Kumar, senior officials of the State Water Resources Department, and representatives of the executing agency to assess the current status of construction activities.
Among those present at the meeting were PPA Deputy Director Praveen Verma; Engineer-in-Chief (ENC) of the State Water Resources Department K Narasimha Murthy; Superintending Engineer (SE) R Ramachandra Rao Chief Engineer (Quality Control) Seshu Babu; Superintending Engineer Tirumala Rao; Executive Engineers Balakrishna, Srinivas, Narasimha Rao and Prem Chand; and representatives of the construction agency, Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), including General Manager A Gangadhar and Deputy General Manager Murali Pammi.
It may be recalled that a team of foreign experts visited the Polavaram project site for four days during the last week of January to examine the progress of works. The expert team offered several suggestions and recommendations and met Paithankar in New Delhi to discuss their observations.
Paithankar undertook this visit to Polavaram to review developments on the ground. During the review meeting, officials briefed him on the progress achieved since his visit, the recommendations made by the foreign experts, and the steps taken toward their implementation.
In the afternoon, the PPA CEO conducted an on-site inspection of key construction components, including Gap-1, Gap-2, and ECRF dam (Earth-Cum-Rock Fill) works. Officials from the Water Resources Department and MEIL explained the ongoing construction processes and milestones achieved so far. Paithankar expressed satisfaction over the pace and quality of the works being executed. He also reviewed the progress of rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) measures for project-affected families, emphasizing the importance of completing these activities in a time-bound manner.
Paithankar stated that both the Central and State Governments are firmly committed to completing the Polavaram Project within the stipulated timeframe. He directed officials and the executing agency to prepare and adhere to a structured action plan to ensure timely completion of all components.
He assured that design approvals required for the project would be granted at the earliest. He reiterated that the Centre and the State are maintaining coordination to expedite the completion of this project.