Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu visited the Polavaram Project site on Monday. He took the data about the project’s present situation from the officials. He went around the project site and inspected the works.
He also looked at the photo exhibition put up by the officials and the contractor. He interacted with the officials and the representatives of the contractor and collected the data.
Later, speaking to the media, Chandrababu Naidu said that Jagan Mohan Reddy caused serious damage to the project. He said that his inexperience and arrogance have paid heavily. The project’s diaphragm wall was breached at three places during the 2019-20 floods. The government did not know how to release water from the project. The heavy inflows to the project have caused damage to the diaphragm wall, he said.
The spill channel was also blocked and the coffer dams were also damaged. The previous government did not take steps to save the project. The TDP government had completed the project by 73 per cent by 2019. The successive governments could have completed the project by 2021 had they worked with the same commitment and dedication, he said.
Chandrababu Naidu alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy committed the major crime of destroying the Polavaram Project. He wondered how a chief minister could destroy such an important project. He said that Jagan Mohan Reddy was unfit to be the chief minister of the state. A person who is unfit to be in politics had come to politics and destroyed the state, Chandrababu Naidu said.
He said he wanted people of the state to study the project, examine the damage caused by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. He wanted the people to debate on the damage caused by Jagan Mohan Reddy in the last five years.
He said he would meet the union Jal Sakthi minister soon in Delhi and discuss the future course of action. He said that the central government had advised the previous government not to change the contractor. However, Jagan Mohan Reddy changed the contractor through his reverse tendering system. This was one of the reasons why the coffer damage was not completed and it was washed away in the floods.
He said he would discuss the issue with the officials and release a paper on the Polavaram Project and the injustice done by Jagan Mohan Reddy. He had to look into the details, have discussions with the officials to come to a conclusion on what is to be done to complete it.
