Setting the stage for Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s likely visit to Polavaram next week or in early January, his Officer-on-Special Duty Sanjay Kholapurkar and CEO Sumitra Halder inspected the project site in West Godavari district on Saturday.
Preparation of
Status report
The duo is learnt to have instructed Secretary (irrigation) Sasibhushan Kumar and Engineer-in-Chief M. Venkateswara Rao to concentrate on completing the spillway and channel works and the construction of the coffer dam while ensuring that quality is not compromised.
Mr. Kholapurkar’s visit is intended to prepare a status report and submit it to Mr. Gadkari, who promised to extend all possible cooperation to the State government for completing the project by the end of 2018.
Row over delays
Mr. Gadkari was scheduled to visit Polavaram on December 22 amidst a raging controversy over the delays in executing the project, cost escalation etc., which attracted the wsrath of Opposition parties and criticism from the BJP and Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan, who demanded a White Paper.
The Telugu Desam Party’s ally has, over the last few months, shot a volley of questions to the State government seeking an explanation on various issues, particularly the rationale behind continuing contractor Transstroy which is accused of failing to meet the deadlines and jacking up costs.
Polavaram Project Authority member-secretary R.K. Gupta and Superintending Engineer J. Ramesh Babu accompanied the visiting officials.
