Seeks Centre’s intervention on Polavaram

New Delhi: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy called on the Union home minister Amit Shah here late on Friday and appealed to intervene in ensuring that the Union Government clears the pending reimbursement of Rs 1,355.57 crore spent by the state on Polavaram project immediately.

In a memorandum submitted to the home minister, the Chief Minister said that the revised estimates are put at Rs 55,548.87 crore by the Technical Committee but they should be approved by the Centre.

He further said that the Centre has agreed to release Rs 12, 911.15 crores to implement the rehabilitation and resettlement package and go ahead with the project but as per the Lidar Survey, 48 additional habitations in 36 villages and colonies are to be shifted to safer places.

For this, the government needs Rs 17,144.06 crore to implement the R & R package and construct the project as per the revised estimates.

He further said that the Polavaram project is the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh and urged him to intervene in this matter to ensure that the revised estimates are accepted and R and R package is released immediately.

With regard to terms of reference of KWDT II, the Chief Minister observed that the Centre excluding Karnataka and Maharashtra from Krishna basin and involving only Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is not scientific and aspirations of people of state should also be considered.