VIJAYAWADA: The Union government has stated that while the Polavaram project is scheduled to be completed by March 2024 and its distributary network by June 2024, "some delay may occur."
"There is disruption of works due to major floods to Godavari river in 2020 and 2022," minister of state for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu, told Parliament in reply to questions from Kesineni Srinivas, Lavu Srikrishna Devarayalu and Sridhar Kotagiri.
The minister said that rehabilitation of 1,06,006 project displaced families (PDFs) had been taken up in two phases under Polavaram Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) programme by the implementing agency, the Andhra Pradesh government.
“Rehabilitation of 20,946 displaced families (PDFs) up to +41.15 m storage (phase-I) is currently being targeted. Under phase-I, so far 11,306 PDFs have been rehabilitated. A number of key components of PIP, such as spillway, the upstream cofferdam, concrete dam (gap III), diaphragm wall of earth cum rock-fill dam (ECRF) (gap-I) have been completed,” he said.
The minister stated implementation of other key components like construction of ECRF dam (gap I & II) and rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) of affected project displaced families (PDFs) was in different stages of implementation.
Tudu said as per the presently assessed timelines, the project is scheduled to be completed by March, 2024 and its distributary network by June, 2024.
“However, in view of the setbacks caused by major floods in Godavari during 2020 and 2022, some delay is likely,” he said.
The central government has set up Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) for monitoring and timely implementation of the project. PPA is being supported by several expert agencies of the gGovernment as well as the state government, to ensure timely implementation of the project.
He said the Polavaram project was being reviewed frequently at central level, whereby the bottlenecks are identified and the way forward suggested.
As for the project estimates, the minister said the Centre had estimated the cost of the project at the 2013-14 price level of Rs 29,027.95 crore. At the 2017-18 price level, the estimated cost rose to Rs 47,725.74 crore. No subsequent cost estimation has been carried out.
He said the Centre has been reimbursing the expenditure on the irrigation component of PIP with effect from April 1, 2014, upon receipt of verified bills and recommendations from the PPA and the central water commission (CWC). Till now, Rs 13,226.043 crore has been reimbursed after it got national project status. "The AP government has submitted a claim of Rs 483 crore to PPA for reimbursement," the minister added.
