Real-time data on Polavaram progress to be made public

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu instructed officials to upload real-time updated information on the progress of the Polavaram irrigation project on to a website to ensure transparency in the works of the project.

The Chief Minister said that photos and virtual reality options of the project must be available to anyone who wants to know the status of the project. He reviewed the progress on the Polavaram and other priority irrigation projects at the Secretariat on Monday. This was the 49th review on Polavaram project. Officials briefed the Chief Minister that 1.9 lakh cubic metres of earthwork had been excavated in the last one week and the total balance excavation was 281 lakh cubic metres.  

They said 3,826 cubic metres of concrete had been laid in the spillway and stilling basin between January 22 and January 28. The total concrete works completed so far was 4.92 lakh cubic metres, out of 34.04 lakh cubic metres, including spill channel. Of a total of 1,427 metre, 929.2 metre length of the diaphragm wall had also been completed.

Chief Minister also reviewed the progress of priority projects. Officials told the Chief Minster that of the 28 priority irrigation projects, six more , Pogonda reservoir, which would irrigate 8,000 acres so far, the Gorukallu reservoir, which would have a capacity of 12.44 tmc ft, the Owk tunnel, which had already transferred 30 tmc  ft water to Kadapa this year, the Puli Kanuma Lift irrigation scheme which would stabilise 26,000 acres and the Chinasana LI Scheme, were ready for inauguration. 

The Chief Minister asked the officials to ensure that the Kuppam branch canal could be completed by March 15, the Adavipally reservoir could be ready by April 15 to transfer water to Chittoor and that Kondaveeti Vagu in Amaravati could be ready to start five pumps from the end of March. 

The Chief Minister reviewed a detailed project report (DPR), about the proposed barrage near Vykuntapuram on River Krishna. The barrage was proposed to fulfil drinking water needs of the capital city of Amaravati. The barrage is 3.068 km long and is located 23 km upstream of the Prakasam barrage and around 60 km downstream Pulichintala dam. 

Officials will present a finalised DPR to the Chief Minister on February 5. Water resources management minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, principal secretary Shashibhushan Kumar, engineer-in-chief M Venkateswara Rao participated.