Chandrababu Naidu writes letter to Gadkari on Polavaram

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu demanded Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for water Raources & Ganga Rejuvenation, that immediate action may be taken to expedite approval of Rewsed Cost Estimate and arrange immediate release of funds for reimbursement of balance expenditure of Rs.3,722.04 Crores, in a letter on Monday, during a review meeting on Polavaram project.

In his letter, Naidu explained that, the Project works are going on at a brisk pace and all efforts are made to complete the project as per schedule by 2019. So far 54.33% of works of Headworks (Dam and oonnectwities), 90% of Right Main Canal works and 67.37% of Left Main Canal worls are completed. 64.31% of overall project is completed so far With a total expenditure of Rs. 15,585.17 Crores. 

I would like to bring to your kind notice that the expendiuire incurred on the project after declaration as ‘National Project’ is Rs.10,459.30 Crores. Out of this, an amount of Rs.6,727.26 crores only has been reimbursed by Government of India so far. The last reimbursement received from Government of India is on 11 June, 2018.Since then, there is no reimbursement of expenditure already incurred by the State Government so far. A balance amount of Rs.3,722.04 Crores is to be reimbursed tlll now. The State Government with great difficulty is prowding required funds from Its available meager resources to the Preject for releasig essential payments, so that the progress of the ongoing works is not hampered. This is affecting the implementation of other flagship programs of the state severely. 

The Revised Cost Estimate (RCE)of the project was submitted to CWC for scrutiny and according sanction on 16 August, 2017. The replies to all the observations of CWC were subrmtted. lt ls still under scrutiny in CWC. The reimbursement of expenditure on the prom is linked to the sanction of Revised Cost Estimate by the MoWR. Any further delay in sanction of RCE of the Project, will delay the reimbursement of expenditure by Govemment of India which in turn Wlll adversely affect the present pace ol progress of works including Land Acqursmon and R & it works." may be noted that as per Sec.90 ol Andhra Pradesh reorganization Act,2014 Polavaram Irrigation Project has been declared as a National Preject.

The responsibility for 100 percent funding of the Project including Land Acqwsition and R&R is bestowed on the Government of India. This has also been reiterated in the cabinet resolutions of the previous UPA Government as well as the present NDA Government. 

You may kindly recollect your previous visit to the Project Site in July 2018 when you had promised to extend all support including timely release of funds to complete the Preject by February 2019. We have been leavmg no stone unturned to speed up works on all frons for scheduled completion of the Project. As a mark of recognition to our herculean efforts, a Government of India organization CBIP has recentiy awarded the Polavaram Irrigation Project as the ‘Best Implemented Water Resources Project’ in the Country. 

The State Government has been making timely payment for the Project, severely restraining its capacity to fund other development and welfare programmes with its limited revenues and resources. I wnsh to remind you that unless the amounts Whld’l are due to us are reimbursed immediately by the Government of India, the country is likely to lose a golden opportunity to complete a National Project which is benefitan more than Five States directly.