BJP slams Jagan for blaming Centre for Polavaram delay
P Vishnu Kumar Raju
Vijayawada: The BJP slammed the Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for his statement that the Centre is yet to release funds to the state for the Relief and Rehabilitation(R&R) package under Polavaram project.
BJP's state general secretary Vishnuvardhan Reddy on Thursday said that the Chief Minister's remarks made during his visit to flood-hit areas on Wednesday were incorrect.
The BJP leader wanted to know why YSRCPMPs were silent when the Parliament members were informed that all funds were released to the state. He said the state government failed to construct houses for those who were displaced due to the project. He alleged that the state government extended full support to the contractors instead of displaced families.
The BJP leader also remarked that regional parties have become a curse for the states. He alleged that the vote bank politics is the reason behind the lack of development and rise of regional parties.
The Chief Minister had said on Wednesday that his government is fighting with the Centre to get funds for the displaced families. He stated that he has written letters to Delhi and discussed the issue in every meeting with the higher officials. During his visit to villages submerged by Polavaram, the Chief Minister assured the villagers that the water in Polavaram Project will be stored at Full Reservoir Level (FRL) only after paying the compensation to every affected family.
He also stated that the R & R package must be provided by the Centre, as it sums up around Rs 20,000 crore, which is beyond the state government's capacity.
The Chief Minister revealed that the Centre owes Rs 2,900 crore to the state for R&R works. He said the water in the Polavaram will first be filled up to 41.15 meters, as the Central Water Commission (CWC) won't approve filling the dam to its full capacity initially due to safety measures.
The dam will be fully filled only after three years and by then, everyone will be paid compensation, he said and added that the water will be stored in full capacity only after completing R&R.