RAJAHMUNDRY: The AP government has blamed both Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments for trying to stall the execution of Polavaram irrigation project in West Godavari district. The Odisha government is planning to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) alleging that nearly 2,100 hectares of its land located in Malkangiri district will be submerged with the execution of the project. Chhattisgarh, too, is raising similar series of objections on the project.
In 1978-80, the then governments of Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and AP had entered into an agreement signed by then chief ministers for the execution of several projects on Godavari river along its course in their respective states and they vowed to cooperate with one another for the same, experts on water resources said. Regarding Polavaram pr-oject, the then AP government had informed the other two states that it wou-ld take up construction of the project with 150 ft (45.72 m) as full reservoir level (FRL). In the event of any submergence of Trib-al areas in the other two states, it would provide adequate compensation.
If there was no need for compensation, it would take up the task to build embankment along the river course on both sides to avoid submergence of the low-lying areas in both states. Both Odisha and Madhya Pradesh governments had accepted the offer given by the then AP government in the agreement. Based on this deal, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh went ahead with the construction of several irrigation projects on the ri-ver, while AP failed to execute the Polavaram project for varied reasons. In the meantime, the BJP-led NDA government carved out Chhattisgarh from Madhya Pradesh in 2001.
The experts said both Odisha and Chhattisgarh governments had been filing petitions on various fora, including the Supreme Court and now with NGT, on one pretext or other to stall the execution of the project. According to the deal, these states were supposed to conduct public hearings involving their respective state pollution control boards to seek the opinion of the project-affected people as to how much compensation they required to part with the land. Otherwise, the two states should allow the AP government to take up formation of bunds on either side along the course of river where low-lying areas might submerged once the project comes up.
However, both states are not allowing the AP government to exercise either option and the prolonged delay in the execution of Polavaram project is being taken as an advantage to stall it further. The Centre had issued a ‘stop work’ order to stall the execution of the project earlier when both Chhattisgarh and Odisha raised objections. However, after a request from the AP government, the Centre has been giving exemption, allowing the project works to go ahead.
State water resources engineer-in-chief M. Venkateswara Rao said: “When Odisha, MP and AP entered into an agreement for the execution of several projects on Godavari river in their respective states, the other two states went ahead with execution of projects without facing any objection from AP. When AP wants to execute Polavaram project, a series of objections are being raised, especially by Odisha and Chhattisgarh. “When the FRL level of Polavaram project remains unchanged as per agreement, there is no point in raising objections. The project is being executed after obtaining all requisite permissions from the Central Water Commission and the Centre.”
Take over project, farmers ask Centre:
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh are demanding that the Centre take up the execution of Polavaram irrigation project as states like Chhattisgarh and Odisha are continuously raising objections stalling the project. The farmers opined that as the Centre was capable enough to answer the objections being raised by the other states as it has agencies like the Central Water Commission and experts at its disposal. They asked why the Centre declared the project as a national project when it was unwilling to execute it. They alleged that funds were getting misappropriated at the state government’s hands.
They found fault with the state government for allowing the executing agency to revise the cost estimate of the project. They asked the state government to revise the compensation also to benefit project-affected people as per provisions of the new land acquisition Act. They alleged that as the state government wanted to execute Pattiseema lift irrigation project to divert Godavari water to Krishna delta, it paid compensation for land acquisition for the development of the right main canal up to Rs 60 lakh per acre and the minimum compensation was paid Rs 30 lakh per acre.
With regard to the project-affected people, the compensation ranges from a minimum of Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per acre. They sought the appointment of an IAS officer for the implementation of a relief and rehabilitation package to the project-affected people as junior officers were unable to handle it properly. Farmers’ leader K. Trinadha Reddy said, “When the state government allowed the revision of the cost estimate of the project to the existing agency instead of removing it for inordinate delay in execution of the project, it should also allow the project-affected people to get relief as per new norms.”
