Godavari floods may push Polavaram deadline further

Vijayawada: Works on the Polavaram project are likely to be further delayed. The unprecedented floods in Godavari being witnessed now have come in handy for the Government to make an excuse for the delay.

The state government wants to seek Rs 6,000 crore on ad hoc basis immediately from the Centre as against the normal course of seeking funds under component-wise process for speedier implementation of the works once the floods got reduced. But experts say that getting such a release of funds may not be possible as the river is still in a spate and has established a record inflow of over a century.

It is also not known whether the floods would recede any sooner as this is only the beginning of the monsoon season. However, Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy told officials that the state government also needs to secure Rs 2,900 crore from the Centre which the former had spent.

The officials explained to the Chief Minister about the gravity of the flood situation to claim immunity from criticism for the delay. But the fact is that the project itself has run into trouble due to technical issues leading to a slugfest over the coffer dam issue. Unless the inflows get below two lakh cusecs it would not be possible for the works to commence.

The state government, it is learnt, has submitted a report to the Centre accusing the previous regime's complicity in it while TDP alleges that the government had deliberately slowed down the works and had failed to get necessary funds from the Centre.