Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has announced that the Union Cabinet sanctioned ₹12,127 crore for taking up Phase-1 works of the Polavaram project. The Phase-1 will be completed by March 2027, he said.

Addressing a press conference at Amaravati on Wednesday, he said the Centre has agreed to give ₹6,000 crore for 2024-25, and the remaining amount in 2025-26. The funds will be released as per the milestones listed in the plan.

Stating that the project faced several challenges over the last four decades, he said the decisions taken by former Chief Ministers YS Rajasekhara Reddy, and his son YS Jagan Mohan Reddy caused a huge damage.

“It would have been completed by 2021. But the Jagan Government’s decision to stall the works and call for reverse tendering stalled the progress. We lost precious time and money in the process,” Chandrababu Naidu said.

“Barring Kerala, the four Southern States confront severe water scarcity. Fortunately, We (Andhra Pradesh) have Godavari and Krishna rivers. We have abundant water in Godavari which we can tap to meet our drinking water and irrigation needs,” he said.

Published on August 28, 2024