Centre urged not to reduce Polavaram project height

Vijayawada (NTR district): Representatives of various Farmers Associations have urged the Central government for the construction of Polavaram project with a height of 45.72 meters and with a storage capacity of 194 TMC water.

Representatives of various Farmers Associations met Pankaj Kumar, the secretary of the Central government Water Resources department, in New Delhi on Tuesday and submitted a representation in this regard.

Polavaram Sadhikarika Committee chairman Dr GVL Sastry, former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, Federation of Water Users Associations president Alla Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao and other leaders submitted the representation.

Later speaking with the media at AP Bhavan in New Delhi, Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said that as per the State Reorganisation Act, Polavaram project was declared as national project and it must be completed by the Union government only. He said it is the responsibility of the Union government to construct the Polavaram project with full reservoir level of 150 feet and storage capacity of 194 TMC. There will be no use if the project is constructed with a height of 41.15 meters, he stressed.

The former Minister said the farmers associations also asked the Central government to set up Krishna River Water Management Board office in Vijayawada instead of Visakhapatnam and setting up KL Rao Memorial in Vijayawada in the memory of distinguished engineer Dr K L Rao.

Federation of Water Users Associations president Alla Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao demanded that Krishna River Management Board office should be set up in Vijayawada only, pointing out that Vijayawada is nearer to Hyderabad compared to Vizag. He said Vijayawada is centrally located and well connected by rail, road and airways.