Centre To Release Rs 17,140 Crore For Polavaram After Getting Cabinet Approval

VIJAYAWADA: The Centre has promised AP to expedite the release of Rs 17,140 crore after taking a cabinet approval for this, so as to ensure relief to the Polavaram project-affected people.

Union water resources minister Gajendrasingh Shekawat held a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday on the Polavaram project with the officials from AP including water resources secretary Syamala Rao, engineer-in-chief Narayana Reddy and other officials.

The AP officials sought a release of Rs 17,140 crore towards providing resettlement and rehabilitation to the Polavaram project-affected people when the project is executed up to a height of 41.15 metres.

They also sought release of Rs 1,800 crore to reimburse the amount spent by the AP government on execution of the project. As scrutiny of bills for the works that were done was completed for Rs 550 crore (out of the Rs 1,800 crore), the officials sought immediate release of this amount to go ahead with the project execution.

The AP government has fixed the schedule for completion of the whole project by June 2025. The Centre is learnt to have asked AP to advance the schedule and complete it a bit early.

AP water resources ENC, Narayana Reddy, said, “We have requested for an early release of Rs 17,140 crore for giving the R and R package to Polavaram-affected people. The Centre accepted our request to process the papers and get Union cabinet approval.”