Polavaram project: Little progress, but political slugfest goes on

Year 2022 did not dawn with great hopes for the people of Andhra Pradesh, a residual state as it is being called after bifurcation in 2014. AP lacked several things compared to other states in 2014. Eight years down the line, the situation is no different.

The remarkable clarity of the elected governments in depriving the state and its people of development is quote telling. But, in 2022, we all thought that at least the much needed national project, Polavaram, would be completed to turn the state greener and also provide much-needed drinking water.

What Krishna alone is unable to do, Godavari would do, we thought. Unfortunately, like the elusive Special Category Status, Polavaram too has become a mirage. The incumbent government promised to fulfill the promise of completing it last year itself. It did not happen. In 2022, the government suddenly realised that the project lacked a proper design itself.

Polavaram has spillway, approach channel and diaphragm wall problems. The state government now accuses the previous regime of messing up the project for ulterior considerations, while the former ruling party, the TDP, blames the current government's reverse engineering and shortsightedness.

The Centre had to depute a specialist team to evaluate the issue. Monsoon season and continuous rains only have dampened the spirit of the people further.

Another issue that keeps dogging the project is Centre's reluctance and refusal to fund the Relief and Rehabilitation measures as well the increased estimates.

The blame gets tossed among the three now. Politics around Polavaram were expected. Inter-state disputes over submergence issues were also expected and the litigation too. Yet, inefficiency and extraneous considerations were not taken into account while rejoicing the announcement of Polavaram.

Do the rulers realise that the project could be the lifeline of people apart from helping us in the river-linking plans? Will Polavaram ever be completed?

Water experts had already expressed concerns over Polavaram. From whether there will be enough water in Polavaram in future to whether it was wise to build the project on such a scale when Godavari is a perennial river. Sraban Kumar Dalai, formerly with the WWF-ICRISAT Dialogue Project based on modeling of river discharges, questions if there is a need for that big a storage capacity "when the river is able to provide running water all the year round even during drought years".

Others are not so hopeful that the project provides additional water. At the beginning of the project itself, the Government of India's official data showed 71 percent of the right canal command areas (of Polavaram Dam) were already under irrigation since 1999". The real cost-benefit of the dam will, therefore be, much less, it is said. Centre's repeated interventions over public hearings in the submergence areas or otherwise affected areas of the project led to little relief this year and AP is no better off. Telangana too kept raising objections over the '7 mandals dispute' but only recently stated that it was willing to accept a way out.

As for the SCS demand, the State made no progress except for repeating the appeal to the Centre often. The Chief Minister, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, had been steadfast in saying that he would insist on the Special Status but, though the government press releases state so, it seems to have not occupied the priority list. "Obvious" reasons have been flagged by the Opposition this year too for the reluctance of the Government in taking up the issue.

The ruling party was also disappointed this year over the 'indifference' shown by the BJP in addressing its concerns over overdrafts and borrowings. Its arguments justifying the debt situation of the State, did cut no ice with the Centre. The repeated promise of 2021, of handholding, did not materialize.

In addition the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharman turned harsher in poking the State over its overall financial situation. The story of 2022 is one of disappointment in every segment, except Welfare, as that remains the key to all the problems mentioned above. The State further blissfully slipped into the quagmire of debt and its vicious repayment cycles in 2022. Politically for the Opposition, it was yet another harrowing year, with greater confusion and tentativeness dominating its moves in the face of the heavy handedness of the Government. An apt description for the State of affairs of AP in 2022 would be: lIt continued to be in limbo".