The Modi government at the Centre has made shocking comments on the reverse tendering being taken up by the Jaganmohan Reddy government on Polavaram project works. Union Water Resources Minister Gajendra Singh Shekawat told Lok Sabha that AP’s action would cause a further increase in overall costs of the project and it would cause delays. Then it would not be possible to say when the project would be completed eventually.

Replying to a query by TDP MP Galla Jayadev, the Union Minister said that the early completion of Polavaram would solely rest on the shoulders of YCP government. It is well known that though it is a national project, the state government was given approval to supervise the project works to ensure its early completion as per the aspirations of the Andhra people. It became necessary as the project was long pending with successive governments delaying it in some pretext or other.

Interestingly, the Union Minister said that he was regretting to announce that the Jagan Reddy government had removed the Navayuga Company which is carrying out the project works currently. Jagan alleged large scale allegations in the project during TDP regime which is why Navayuga was dismissed. But the Centre has been saying there were not such irregularities. The present issue triggered doubts over the Centre’s future support for the Polavaram project works.