Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari said he would visit the Polavaram Project once in a fortnight if necessary.
The Minister reviewed the progress of the project with representatives of the State government in New Delhi on Tuesday.
He said the Union government would not be a silent spectator if the project work was not done properly.
The State government and the prime contractor Transstroy gave separate presentations to the Minister at the meeting.
Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Department Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and officials met Mr. Gadkari to discuss various subjects related to the construction of a cofferdam for building the Earth-cum-Rock-Filled Dam across the Godavari river and the issue of calling fresh tenders for the work being executed by Transstroy. The State government, which is trying to make the best of the dry season for completing the cofferdam and the spillway, received letters from the Central Water Resources Department to keep on hold the cofferdam for the opinion of the National Hydro Power Corporation experts and also hold the tenders for the spillway work for clearance by the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA).
Sources said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is in South Korea, spoke to the Union Minister on telephone before the meeting took place. The two spoke about the important issues like change of contractor and release of funds. Mr. Gadkari reportedly said ₹318 crore for which bills had been submitted would be released immediately. Mr. Naidu also reportedly requested the Centre to release as soon as possible ₹2,800 crore the State government had spent on the head works.
The Central officials should resolve all coordination problems and order the three-member committee constituted by the A.P. Chief Minister to submit a detailed report immediately.
The State government represented by Secretary Shashi Bhushan Kumar and Engineer-in-Chief M Venkateswara Rao made a power point presentation to explain to the Union Minister the progress in excavation, concrete and other works at the project site. They also briefed Mr. Gadkari the tasks being executed by Transstroy and the volume of work the contractor was able to execute. Representatives of Transstroy also made a presentation about the same aspects and the objections the firm had to the way the State government was conducting affairs at the dam site.
Leaders of the Congress party also met Mr. Gadkari and asked the Union government to execute the project. The Congress leaders told the media later that the Union Minister did not give them any assurance that it would complete the project as per schedule.
