Polavaram project, declared as a national project and promised all financial support by the Centre, must be given highest priority and completed in all its totality and the Rs. 1,300-crore Pattiseema lift scheme being taken up by the State government to pump flood waters into the right main canal of the Polavaram project should be discarded since this canal happens to be an integral component of the Polavaram project.
Since administrative sanction was given to the Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi, every initiative must be taken by the State government to make the project a reality since Visakhapatnam region is set for a major industrial and urban development.
The Dummugudem-Nagarjunasagar tail pond lift must be completed as it is vital for the Rayalaseema and Nagarjunasagar ayacut.
These are among the main recommendations made in the Visakha Declaration drawn up at a recent round table organised by the Forum for Action Research and Policy analysis (FARPA) and Uttarandhra Retired Irrigation Engineers Association here.
Nearly 200 persons, including leaders of Congress, YSRC and Lok Satta, several senior engineers and others from north Andhra and East Godavari and West Godavari participated in the discussion while TDP, BJP, CPI (M) and CPI sent messages.
Polavaram project’s dam head works, hydro power plant, the right and left canals must be completed and a concrete diaphragm wall constructed throughout the width of the Godavari and a coffer dam built to divert the Godavari waters so that the construction went on without a break. Land acquisition and R and R programmes are implemented without delay, FARPA convenor and former Principal of AU College of Engineering R.V. Rama Rao said giving the details of the declaration. The government should get clearance and acceptance from the Polavaram national project Implementation Authority and Krishna and Godavari water management authorities for the design and implementation. The government is not showing interest in addressing the needs of north Andhra. Without waiting for strengthening Yeleru canal, a number of alternatives could be taken up, like layingpipeline from Raiwada project to Visakhapatnam; Janjhavathi link canal to Tatipudi reservoir and utilisation of Pushkara canal and linking the same with Polavaram canal which is already completed, to ensure that the flood waters of the Godavari and the Yeleru reached Visakhapatnam, the experts said.
