Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Wednesday that the Polavaram project will be completed on time without any question of reducing its height.
Addressing the Polavaram issue on the third day of the winter session of the state Assembly, Reddy said the question of reducing the height of the project, which stands at 45.72 meters, did not arise and water will be provided through the project for 2022 kharif season.
The Polavaram project is an under-construction multi-purpose irrigation project on the Godavari river in West Godavari and East Godavari districts in Andhra Pradesh. The project has been accorded national project status by the Union government.
Reddy alleged that corruption and mismanagement were rampant during the previous government, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to comment that Polavaram had become the ATM of N. Chandrababu Naidu.
“We have made efforts and tried to clear the mess Naidu had created by agreeing to 2014 prices, accepting the special packages, and taking over the project from the Centre,” said Reddy.
He alleged that corruption was so rampant that the state government saved as much as Rs 1,343 crore on reverse tendering, out of which Rs 1,140 crore was saved by canceling the tenders of the previous Telugu Desam Party government and going for fresh bidding.
“Polavaram is the lifeline of the state and it was Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy brought the majority of the clearances. While Chandrababu Naidu had been making tall claims that 70 percent of the works were completed, in reality, it was about 20 percent as he lagged behind in land acquisition and neglected rehabilitation and resettlement,” he said.
Reddy also said that a 100 feet statue of former Chief Minister Rajasekhara Reddy would be installed at the project site in recognition of his initiatives which enabled the project to take off.