ELURU: A six-member Central Environmental Monitoring Committee inspected Polavaram project on Wednesday.
The team comprising Central Water Commission (CWC) Chief Engineer RK Pachauri, Director HK Meena, Assistant Director Amit Mittal, Niti Aayog Joint Advisor Avinash Mishra, Ministry of Tribal Affairs Deputy Secretary Rupak Chowdary and Ministry of Water Resources Joint Commissioner SK Sharma, visited the spillway, diaphragm wall, spill channel and project gates works.
During its visit, the team asked the officials about the implementation of relief and rehabilitation measures for the Polavaram project oustees. It also questioned about the development of reserve forest area.
A sum of `20 crore was allocated to the forest department to take up various development works in the submerged forest area. It inspected the area where checkdams were proposed. The team members also visited Ramannapalem village, which gets submerged under the Polavaram project.
Later, the team held a review meeting with officials at the Polavaram project site. Joint Collector P Koteswara Rao made a PowerPoint presentation to the Central team on the progress of Polavaram project. A total of 31,600 acres have been acquired for the multipurpose project so far.
Another 1,200 acres need to be acquired. The government sanctioned `1,700 crore towards payment of compensation for the acquired land for the project. The land acquisition process will be completed by July, the Joint Collector said.
Land acquisition
31,600 acres - Land acquired
1,200 acres - Land to be acquired
K1,700 cr -Sum sanctioned for compensation