ELURU: Irrigation Minister Anil Kumar Yadav has reiterated that State government will complete Polavaram project by 2021 and all steps are being taken in that direction. Minister inspected the ongoing works at the project site on Sunday ahead of Chief Minister’s scheduled visit to the Polavaram project site.
Later, speaking to mediapersons, the minister said that the project works were moving fast and strict guidelines were issued to the officials to complete the works by June. The Chief Minister himself is overseeing the project works, he added.
The minister said previous TDP government has only focused on concrete works and failed to implement the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R works). “We have discussed the plan to construct 15,000 to 18,000 houses for the project displaced,” he explained.
Anil Kumar said NABARD was yet to release pending funds for the project. “Around `5,000 crore should be received from NABARD, but so far, only `1,800 crore was released. If the funds from the Centre are not released on time, the State government will spend the amount on Polavaram and take the amount later from the Centre,” he maintained.
Stating that they have received some 10,000 complaints from Polavaram project-displaced, the minister said a committee headed by an IAS officer has been constituted to look into the grievances and redress them. He said shortly they will take certain issues to the notice of the Chief Minister. Continuing to hold the previous TDP regime responsible for the delay in the project, Anil Kumar said out of `55,000 crore worth works, the previous regime completed only `17,000 crore worth works, but claimed it has completed 75 per cent of the works. “The fact remains that works pertaining to the right main canal were completed by the YS Rajasekhara Reddy government. The TDP has done little, but publicised more. Unlike them, our CM thinks in working more and talking less,” he said.
‘Central team happy’
The Central team that visited the project site recently has expressed satisfaction and given a report to the Centre stating that works are being implemented as per schedule, the minister said.