CM to launch spillway concrete works today

Eluru: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is going to open a new chapter in the State’s history by inaugurating the concrete works to spillway of much-delayed and controversial Polavaram irrigation project at Ramayyapeta village in Polavaram mandal of West Godavari district on Friday.

The Chief Minister will reach Ramayyapeta on Friday afternoon and inaugurate the concrete works of spillway at 01.59 pm.

After the launch of the works, he will address a public meeting attended by thousands of farmers and people of West Godavari, East Godavari and Krishna districts.

The district officials have completed all necessary arrangements at the project site near Ramayyapeta. Modern equipment was deployed to speed up the project works with an aim to complete it by 2018 as desired by the Chief Minister.

The Polavaram multi-purpose project got the Centre’s nod and was accorded the status of national project.

The Chief Minister managed to get Rs.2, 000 crores as loan from Nabard recently and a cheque has been given to him by Union Water resources Minister Uma Bharti and other Central Ministers. The funding gave a boost to the works of the project.

The district administration led by Collector K Bhaskar made elaborate arrangements for the public meeting and the inauguration programme.

Ministers, MLAs and other dignitaries are to participate in the programme.

The proposal to construct the project near Polavaram came up in 1941 and preliminary survey was conducted during 1942-44. Engineers had suggested a water reserve capacity of 836.35 tmc ft with 208 feet maximum water level.

After the TDP government led by N Chandrababu Naidu came to power in 2014, the BJP-led NDA government accorded national status to the Polavaram project as promised in the AP Reorganisation Act.

The government has set up Polavaram Project Authority on January 9, 2015 to speed up the project construction.

The Centre announced on April 1 2014, that it would bear the expenditure of the project with Nabard funds. The Polavaram project is aimed at producing 960 megawatt power, diversion of 80 tmc ft of Godavari water to River Krishna as part of river linkage programme besides supplying irrigation water to 2.91 lakhs hectares.

It is also aimed at supplying 23.44 tmc ft of drinking water to Visakhapatnam and 28.5 lakh people in 540 villages.

The project will supply 5 tmc ft to Odisha and Chhattisgarh also. In addition, fish breeding and cargo transport provisions were also made.

The Polavaram project got the environmental clearance in October 2005 and the Union Tribal Welfare Ministry sanctioned R & R (rehabilitation and resettlement) permissions in April-May of 2007.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests accorded permission for Stage -I in December 2008 and for Stage 2 in July 2010. The total project cost was estimated at Rs 16,010.45 crores in 2010-11.

The spillway earthwork has been completed by 90 per cent at the project. It was decided to set up 22,000 metric tonnes of radial gates to the project.

The earth works for the spill channel, approach channel, pilot channels have been completed by 32.65 per cent.

The official took up the coffer dam works and from January next year, the construction of diaphragm wall will be taken up.