Polavaram ready to host Nitin Gadkari

Rajahmundry: Minister for water resources Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao reviewed the arrangements for the visit of Union minister for water resources Nitin Gadkari to Polavaram irrigation project on December 23 during his visit there on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that they were arranging a photo exhibition at spillway depicting the progress of execution of various components of the project for the benefit of the Union minister to take a glance and understand the project and added that Mr Gadkari would also inspect various components of the project to get firsthand information on progress of the project. The minister would be accompanied by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to the project, he said and sounded confident to expedite the execution of project works after the visit.

Referring to the progress of execution of diaphragm wall, the minister said it would be completed by May 2018 and added that both contractors L and T and Germany based Bauer had completed construction of 800 meters of the diaphragm wall. He laid stress to expedite concrete work for spillway and digging works for laying spill channel and approach channel and said that the rock which could be obtained during the process could be used to construct diaphragm wall and also earth-cum-rock-fill-dam.

The minister felt the need on the part of engineers working on the project to stay put at their workplace and added that they were having quarters for their stay. He said that they were expecting suggestions from Hydro Power Corporation Limited on construction of coffer dam upstream.

As part of the efforts to expedite completion of the whole project, he said that Mr Naidu was holding talks with the officials from Central Water Commission, Polavaram Project Authority and Union ministry of water resources. He also said that they had submitted bills pertaining to land acquisition and also for implementation of relief and rehabilitation of Polavaram project to the Polavaram Project Authority and wished that the bills would be cleared soo