The Odisha State government had lodged a complaint with the Central government against Polavaram project, which is seen as the lifeline to Andhra Pradesh. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to the Union Ministry of Environment raising objections on the Polavaram Project and requesting it stop the project works till the issues are settled.
This was not the first time that Odisha had written to the centre against the Polavaram project, which is designated as a national project following bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The project has to be executed by the Centre as it is a national project. However, the State government took up the responsibility and is executing the works by spending from its coffers. Though the central government is slow in reimbursing the money spent on the project, the AP government is going ahead with its ambitious plan to complete the first phase of the project by the end of 2019 and give water to Krishna delta by gravity. The Left main canal of the Polavaram Project is ready to carry the Godavari river water from Polavaram to Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada.
While the AP government is nourishing its ambitious plans to fish votes in the Polavaram waters in the 2019 elections, the Odisha government had watered down the plans by dashing off a letter to the Central government to stop the works. The Central government, which is waiting for an opportunity to hit at the TDP-led AP government after the latter’s break up with NDA, is likely to act on this letter backing the Odisha government. It is feared that the Centre might ask the AP government to stop the Polavaram works as demanded by the Odisha and settle the issues before moving further. Though Chandrababu Naidu will take such a situation to his advantage, the BJP has an excuse of Odisha to save its face and trouble the TDP government.
The Odisha government wanted the Central government to settle issues like resettlement and rehabilitation of the project oustees, besides paying compensation to Odisha for the areas that are set to submerge in the backwaters of the project. There are issues like sharing of river waters like Sileru and Sabari before enjoying the surplus water of Godavari by the AP government. The Odisha had raised these objections for which the AP government is yet to react. Interestingly, the Odisha had raised the same objections in the past too and its Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written to the Prime Minister twice in the past. However, being an ally with the BJP, Chandrababu Naidu could bulldoze the Centre ignoring these objections.
Naveen Patnaiak, in the changed political equations, had not tried for his luck this time and it is to be seen how Modi government would react now. Will Modi honour Naveen Patnaik and post troubles to Naidu or will let Naidu go ahead with the project works?
