Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government is awaiting the Union Cabinet nod for fund release of nearly Rs16,000 crore from the Centre to resume the Polavaram irrigation project works, before issue of the EC notification for the general elections.
Out of the total estimated cost of about Rs 31,000 crore for the project with the dam height set at 41.14 metres in phase-1, the Centre has already sanctioned nearly Rs 15,000 crore. The state expects the release of the remaining Rs 16,000 crore to complete the phase-1 project works.
Moreover, the Centre is also supposed to reimburse Rs 1,590 crore to the AP government for the project works that were already executed.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has been pursuing the matter during his Delhi visits, in talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. This helped expedite the process for release of Rs 16,000 crore from Delhi. AP water resources authorities are confident of getting the Centre’s nod for release of the additional funds at the next Union Cabinet meeting.
Meanwhile, the project is dogged by several problems. For one, its diaphragm wall suffered damage, while parts of the guide bund near the spillway caved in.
The state water resources authorities are also awaiting approval of designs for replacement of the affected components of the project from the central agencies to expedite the repair or restoration works.
Notably, the authorities will have only a few months a year to take up execution of the project works, mainly during the summer season when the water level in Godavari river is relatively low. Once the rains start in July/August, the level in Godavari rises. This would hamper some works.
The cofferdams built both on upper and lower sides to enable construction of the earth-cum-rock-fill dam in between them proved futile as the authorities had to stop the works at one stage due to water seepage.
In this backdrop, the water resources department aims for execution of the project during the dry season after they get the funds from the Centre as also the requisite approvals for various designs of the components from the central agencies.
The major problem the project authority faces at present is to restore the D-Wall and to go ahead with construction of the earth-cum-rock-fill dam to complete the project, apart from attending to resettlement and rehabilitation of the project-affected people.
Polavaram project superintending engineer Narasimha Murthy said, “We are expecting the central Cabinet nod for release of nearly Rs 16,000 crore to expedite the Polavaram project works.”
