Naidu vows to complete Polavaram in time

Eluru: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has called upon the farmers to teach a fitting lesson to the Opposition parties who are trying to derail the Polavaram irrigation project. He made an insinuation against YSRCP president Jagan and his media saying that they were conspiring to stop the project and provoke people against the TDP government. 

Naidu said he was sure that the conspiracy against him will come unstuck, and the TDP government would complete the project at any cost. He alleged that the Centre was also creating obstructions by not releasing funds to the project.

The Chief Minister visited the Polavaram project site on Monday afternoon and inspected the ongoing works. Later, he laid the foundation stone for the spill-basin works.     

Addressing a meeting of farmers and educationists, the Chief Minister said the Polavaram project would go down in history as an engineering marvel the likes which might not come up anywhere in the future. 

He said that so far 52.85 per cent works had been completed, and by next month the underground dam would be completed. He said if the project and the river linkage was completed, there would be no water shortage to the state. He called upon the people to join hands in this Herculean task.  

Explaining why he had come out of the NDA, the Chief Minister said the Centre had created hurdles for Andhra Pradesh’s development by not sanctioning funds and attending to other issues. Even then, he has remained quiet for four years and then bid goodbye to the NDA.

Naidu said the TDP government would intensify the agitation for Special Category Status (SCS).  He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced equal justice to Andhra Pradesh in the presence of Tirumala Lord Sri Venkateswara but after winning the elections he had turned a blind eye to the development of the state. 

After the programme, the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of the project works with the officials and contracting agency representatives where he told the officials to realise that the project is aimed at the welfare of farmers and not of contractors. 

Expressing his anger over the officials regarding the Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme (CLIS), the Chief Minister said the CLIS should be completed during the present season and that he would not tolerate any delay in this regard. "You do not even know when you have to complete the project. What is this?” he questioned the Chief Engineer (Irrigation).  The CE said the Polavaram Left Min Canal (PLMC) will be completed by November and would be ready for inauguration on December 1.