The Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments will present the concerns of the respective states before the Polavaram Project Authority at the crucial emergency meeting which is currently underway in Hyderabad.
Both the governments will present their arguments before Polavaram Project Authority CEO Chandrasekhar Iyer. On its part, the Andhra Pradesh government will strongly put forth its demand on unconditional release of pending reimbursements, accord investment clearance for the Polavaram project’s second revised cost estimate (RCE) of Rs 55,549 crore at the earliest so that the project could be completed by December 2021. Already, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and union home minister Amit Shah seeking early release of pending reimbursements on Polavaram project, considered the lifeline project of Andhra Pradesh.
Irrigation Special Chief Secretary Adityanath Das and engineer-in-chief of the State irrigation department C Narayana Reddy will represent the Andhra Pradesh government. At the Polavaram Project Authority meeting, Irrigation Special Chief Secretary Adityanath Das is expected to strongly put forth the concerns of the Andhra Pradesh government. The Telangana government’s arguments will be presented by engineer-in-chief of the State irrigation department Muralidhar Rao.
While Jagan Mohan Reddy appealed to the central government to sanction funds as per the 2017-2018 price levels estimates of Rs 55,448 as approved by the Central Water Commission, the central government has made it clear that it will pay as per the original cost estimation of Rs 20,399 crore at 2013-14 price levels.
The Polavaram project was declared a national project by the central government at the time of AP bifurcation and enshrined as a solemn promise in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
The Polavaram Project Authority is unlikely to consider the Andhra Pradesh government’s appeal to the central government to sanction funds as per the 2017-2018 price levels. It remains to be seen whether the Polavaram Project Authority will agree to the demands of the Andhra Pradesh government
