Polavaram Project: Centre urged to release `38,500 cr for R&R package

VIJAYAWADA: Polavaram Sadhikara Samiti demanded that both Central and State governments should not reduce the height of Polavaram Irrigation Project from 45.72 (150 feet) metres to 41.15 (135 feet) metres and asserted that the government must complete the project construction in three years.

The Samiti also appealed to the Central government to release Rs 38,500 crore towards Resettlement & Rehabilitation package.

Polavaram Sadhikara Samiti organised roundtable conference here on Wednesday. Senior economist & honorary chairman, SEP, Stanford, Prof GVR Sastry, Rythu Seva Samstha president and programme convenor Akkineni Bhavani Prasad, former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao, former irrigation chief engineers, farmers and water users associations presidents participated in this meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof Sastry said that Polavaram project is the economic lifeline of Andhra Pradesh and asserted that if there is no Polavaram, there will be no Andhra Pradesh in future. He described the Polavaram project as a mother to AP and stated that it was essential to complete the project soon.

If the project is not completed by 2030, the AP state would face huge water scarcity, he said. There will be no harvest in both Godavari districts.

He urged the Central government to take immediate responsibility to complete the project. Former Minister Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao said that the estimates of the Polavaram project construction were shooting up with each passing year.

He said that the BJP government had deceived the AP people and demanded that the Centre should keep its promise of completing the construction of Polavaram project. Farmers associations, waters user associations and former Irrigation chief engineers pointed out that if the project is completed, about 7.2 lakh acres of new ayacut would receive irrigation facility.

Kurnool, Prakasam and Nellore districts would be given plenty of water. Likewise, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts would also get water under by Uttarandhra Srujala Sravanthi lift irrigation scheme.

As per GWDT (Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal) Award final order, the height of the dam shall be constructed with a Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 150 ft and this cannot be changed by any authority, just for saving a few crores of rupees (R&R packages & Land acquisition).

This is the only terminal reservoir that can facilitate interlinking of rivers. The live storage of 75 tmcft above MDDL (Minimum Draw down Level) will have an adverse effect on the flows into right and left canals, they informed. Alla Gopala Krishna, Jamalayya and others participated.