Polavaram dam will be raised to 45.72 ft: Rambabu

VIJAYAWADA: Irrigation minister Ambati Rambabu said the Chief Minister did not visit the inundated areas during the floods as the relief operations would have hampered, and added that the government worked with sincerity and stood by the flood victims.

Addressing the media here on Saturday, Rambabu claimed that the reason for the delay in the Polavaram project was the wrong decisions taken by the previous Telugu Desam (TD) government.

Speaking on Polavaram project, Rambabu said Polavaram was a national project and the state government was working sincerely to complete the project with the cooperation of the Central government and it would be completed in phases. He asked why the previous TD government did not complete the Polavaram project in five years.

He demanded an answer from the TD why they (the then TD government) had undertaken the national project to be built by the Centre. He recalled that the TD in Assembly told that the project would be completed by 2018 and water would be released. The minister found fault with the TD for constructing the diaphragm wall without completing the cofferdam.

Rambabu made it clear that there was no intention to reduce the height of Polavaram dam. He explained that due to the damage to the diaphragm wall, we could not fulfil the promise given by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy that Polavaram would be completed by Kharif 2021 which was due to the blunder committed by the previous TD government.

He said the first phase would be completed up to a height of 41.15 feet and the water would be stored. Then the work would be done in the second phase up to a height of 45.72 feet and the Polavaram target would be completed, he explained.

Rambabu said relief and rehabilitation measures for Polavaram residents would be completed within the next four months. He said on July 26 and 27, Jagan Mohan Reddy visited the flood-affected areas and inquired about the relief measures provided to the victims. All the victims expressed their satisfaction and praised the government's actions. He said the government had worked with sincerity to prevent any loss of life during the unexpected Godavari floods that caused huge damage.