Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, with his incompetence and inefficiency has made the Polavaram project, which is the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh as defunct, remarked former chief minister and TDP supremo, N Chandrababu Naidu, on Monday.
As part of his ‘Yudha Bheri’ programme, a war against the State’s Government’s negligence towards the ongoing irrigation projects in the State, Naidu made a power-point presentation on the prevailing condition of the irrigation projects in West Godavari district. With his stupidity and inability, Jagan has almost drowned the Polavaram project into the Godavari, the TDP supremo maintained.
Naidu felt that if the Polavaram needs to be completed there should be awareness and change among the public. No one can raise any kind of objections to utilise the surplus Godavari waters to meet the needs of the State, he said and made it clear that even if someone raises any kind of objection the State can easily face them.
Pointing out that the TDP government mainly focussed on all the irrigation projects, including Polavaram, Naidu felt that had the Chintalapudi and Polavaram been completed the State would have turned into a fertile Andhra Pradesh. Observing that the State has suffered undue damage after the YSRCP came to power, the TDP supremo felt that Polavaram has now become a history and a dream.
Giving the details on how the Polavaram project has been conceived and how it is developed till this stage, Naidu explained that the project got delayed by 10 years due to the vengeful attitude adopted by the late Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy. In 2004, then chief minister, Dr Rajasekhara Reddy called for tenders and handed over the works to the Madhukan and the Seenaiah organisations. Then Dr YSR resorted to vengeful attitude towards these organisations and thus onl five per cent works were completed from 2004 till 2014 and that government had spent a mere Rs423 cr on the project, he said.
Stating that compensation too was not paid to the farmers, Naidu said that no efforts were made to resolve the disputes with the neighbouring States. The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) has pointed out all these issues in its report, Naidu explained.
The Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) found fault with the reverse tendering decision of this Government and raised strong objections, the former chief minister said. On August 13, 2019 the PPA said that the present contractor is functioning well and there is no need to replace the organisation, Naidu said and also explained that the PPA also pointed out how the head-works have come to a standstill due to replacement of the contractor in 2009.
