Speaker, ministers target Jagan on Polavaram

Polavaram dam site (West Godavari): Coming down heavily on YSRCP president YS Jaganmohan Reddy for criticising the government on Polavaram project, the Assembly Speaker Kodela Sivaprasada Rao said that if the Opposition leader visited and saw the real development that had taken place, he would not have done so. The Speaker participated in the Spillway Gallery Walk along with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and later addressed a gathering on Wednesday here.

Stating that Jaganmohan Reddy had found fault with him for expressing support to Polavaram project in a recent letter, he said the Polavaram was a great one with many dimensions. “Polavaram is the only project which is going to realise the dream of interlinking of rivers in the country,” he said. 

The state government has been using the cutting edge technology available across the globe in constructing the project, he added. He said that this was the project, which faced many a problem, including social, financial, legal and political hurdles.

Minister for IT and panchayat raj Nara Lokesh said that there were many attempts to construct the project in the 70 years but none materialised. On the other hand, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu proved his determination by going to complete the project by next year.

He said that 58 per cent of project works had been completed and the remaining would be over by 2019. He reiterated that the Chief Minister aimed to make the state drought free. Minister for water resources Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao said that dedication of Spillway Project to the nation was a great moment.

Another minister Ayyannapatrudu found fault with YSRCP chief for criticising Polavaram project though he don’t even know the terminology of irrigation projects. “He only know well about ‘bars’ as he spent more than 16 behind them in corruption cases,” he said referring to Jagan’s arrest in illegal investments case. 

Housing minister Kalava Srinivasulu said that Chandrababu Naidu’s name would remain in the history forever for completing the project, which is the lifeline of the state.

BJP MLA P Vishnukumar Raju said that seeing the development at the project was a great experience and promised to do all he can to ensure his party’s help in completing the mega project. Ministers K Atchannaidu, Prathipati Pulla Rao, Nakka Ananda Babu, C Adinarayana Reddy, MLAs, MLCs and others participated in the meeting.