Andhra Pradesh reply to Centre's queries on info slow

Visakhapatnam: Despite the Union government having accorded national status’ to the Polavaram project, the state government’s response has been tardy, the TD-led government failing to furnish various details sought by the Union water resources ministry regarding release of funds.

In the last five months, the Union water resources ministry wrote at least thrice to the state water resources principal secretary. “The details of the land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement and the expenditure incurred package wise as asked vide our letters dated 13.01.2016 and 12.02. 2016 is yet to be made available by the state government.

The copies of all the supplementary agreements/contracts entered on account of changes in the contract conditions vide GO 22 and 63 of the Government of Andhra Pradesh are also to be made available. All the details to assess the additional financial implications and related aspects are to be made available so as to understand the entire billing process,” said a letter by Polavaram Project Authority member secretary R.K. Gupta at the end of March which Deccan Chronicle was able to access.

The letter said that the Union government also sought that the audited reports of the projects carried out under various divisions over the last two years be made available within the next three months. It said that these were the conditions laid down by the Union government while releasing an amount of Rs 290 crore through the Polavaram Project Authority.

The letter also said that the billing process such as measurements entered, computation of escalation and computation of compensation paid towards the provisions under the two GOs is yet to be fully understood by the Union water resources ministry office.

“This only shows how the BJP-led Union government is serious about the Polavaram project. The Centre had accorded the highest priority to it and wants things to move fast.

Though the inclusion of six mandals of Telangana in AP for the benefit of the construction of the Polavaram project is not part of the AP Reorganisation Act, our government did it as soon as our party came into power. But unfortunately, the official machinery in AP is moving slowly,” pointed out BJP MLA representing Vizag North constituency, P. Vishnu Kumar Raju.