AP Govt Releases Rs 1,962 Crore Funds For Polavaram Main Dam Works  

1 May, 2020 12:06 IST|Sakshi
Polavaram dam  Inset: AM CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy

AMARAVATI: The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday released Rs 1,962 crore for various works related to the Polavaram dam project. Of the total sum released on Thursday, over Rs 1,252 crore would be utilised for the Polavaram main dam and other related works. Another Rs 600 crore would be spent on rehabilitation and resettlement of the families displaced by the project while Rs 110 crore would be spent on the Polavaram right and left main canals.

The Centre had declared Polavaram as a national project which was also made a key component of the AP Re-organisation Act, 2014. As per the provisions of the act, the Central is supposed to bear the entire cost of the project, over Rs 54,000 crores including the rehabilitation and resettlement works.

As the project executioner, the state government spends money from its budget and the Centre later reimburses it. The Union government is yet to reimburse over Rs 3,000 crore, already spent by the state on the project. "Our focus now is mainly on R and R (rehabilitation and resettlement) and we will be stepping up those works. Simultaneously, the other works of the project will also pick up pace," a top official of the Water Resources Department said.

The ongoing lockdown has hampered the Polavaram works due to non-availability of steel and cement. The supplies have started again as some of the lockdown restrictions have been eased.

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who reviewed the Polavaram works on Wednesday, asked the officials to try to complete the spillway works by June keeping in view the impending flood threat around June. Last year, heavy floods to Godavari river left many villages in the region inundated for several days. The Chief Minister asked the Water Resources Department to step up the R and R works and relocate the project-affected families to prevent inundation in future. (With inputs from PTI)

Also Read: AP CM YS Jagan Reviews Polavaram: 6 Key Projects To Be Commissioned In 2020

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