The union water resources minister Uma Bharti announced that she would request the Niti Aayog to release Rs 1,600 crores for the ongoing Polavaram national irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh and thereafter resolve the hurdles to complete the dam within the deadline.
“The Centre has so far released Rs 500 crore to Polavaram. But, this amount is not sufficient to expedite the works. Hence, my ministry has requested the Niti Aayog to release Rs 1,600 crore for the project,” Uma Bharti said in New Delhi on Saturday. Andhra Pradesh has sought Rs 30,000 crores for the multipurpose dam.
The Naidu-led state government at the moment seems to want to focus on the Polavaram irrigation project and building the new capital city Amaravati, and both projects require large funds. Meanwhile, the opposition parties continue to blame Naidu for failing to collect enough funds for the projects as promised by the union government in the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
The Polavaram national irrigation project across the river Godavari was accorded a national status by the centre and described as the pride of the nation. Uma Bharti said that the centre had already granted Rs 500 crores for the project. She added that the sanctioned amount is too meagre to expedite work on the dam. Hence, the ministry has requested the Niti Aayog to release Rs 1,600 crores for the project.
The irrigation project is located in two districts of Andhra Pradesh—West Godavari and East Godavari. The project’s reservoir also spreads to parts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Uma Bharti will soon hold a meeting between the three states to resolve certain disputes regarding the dam.
