Expedite Polavaram project, urges Pawan

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan met Union minister for water resources Gajendra Singh Shekawat in New Delhi on Monday and sought the intervention of the Centre to expedite completion of Polavaram irrigation project.

He alleged that the YSRC government was delaying its execution on the pretext of lack of funds and also failing to implement resettlement and rehabilitation package to the project-affected people. He said that though the project works were completed to the tune of 72 per cent by May 2019, the YSRC government failed to complete even three per cent of works in the last four years.

He said the Polavaram left main canal meant for supplying water to meet drinking and industrial needs of Visakhapatnam was also getting delayed. He called for intervention of the Centre to complete the remaining 24 per cent of works of the project for the benefit of farmers in Godavari and Krishna delta region.

Earlier in the day, Pawan Kalyan met minister of state for external affairs and AP affairs incharge V. Muraleedharan.

The Jana Sena chief along with the party’s political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar met the Union minister and discussed the political developments in AP.

The Jana Sena chief was expected to meet the top leadership of the BJP later.

Though the BJP has been maintaining that the party was in alliance with the Jana Sena in AP and both the parties would contest the polls together, there were gaps in their postures as was evident in the recently held MLC polls.