HYDERABAD: The Central Water Commission (CWC) on Monday ordered the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and the AP government to conduct a joint survey on the submergence areas of Telangana on account of the dam's backwaters.
While expressing his discontent over the delay in conducting the survey, CWC chairman Kushvinder Vohra ordered the PPA to hold a meeting with AP and Telangana officials on April 10 to take necessary measures for the joint survey.
During a meeting in New Delhi on Monday, the Telangana government took strong exception to AP delaying the survey even after the CWC gave orders in January. The Telangana government informed the CWC that it would not accept the Gopalakrishna committee's 2011 survey and demanded a fresh joint survey.
Officials from Odisha and Chhattisgarh, who attended the meeting, also demanded a fresh survey citing submergence in several areas in their respective states.
Telangana, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh governments had earlier petitioned the Supreme Court against the Polavaram project. Following the SC’s directive to the Centre to reach a consensus on this matter, the CWS convened two meetings with all states. On Monday, the third meeting was conducted. The Telangana officials informed the CWC that the Telangana government was not opposed to the construction of the Polavaram project, but was concerned about the submergence of areas. It also demanded that the fresh survey encompass the Manuguru heavy water plant and Bhadrachalam temple areas,
following the massive floods in Godavari in July last year.
