YSR Congress President Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy said the Telugu Desam Government was deliberately sidelining Polavaram project and taking up Pattiseema Project to allegedly benefit contractors.
“Telugu Desam Chief N. Chandrababu Naidu was neglecting Polavaram project and focusing on Pattiseema project with ulterior motives,” alleged Mr. Reddy after inspecting Prakasam Barrage here on Thursday.
Prakasam Barrage has a capacity to store only 3 tmcft water and if Godavari water was diverted there is no provision for storing water since Pattiseema project lacks any storage facility. Every year both Krishna and Godavari river waters were released into sea during August to October period and to avoid this Polavaram project with a storage capacity of 194 tmc ft was planned.
Pattiseema project benefits contractors and water cannot be sent to the arid region due to lack of infrastructure. Interestingly, only two contractors turned up for tenders, quoting 22 per cent excess and the Government assured them of granting the contracts, he alleged amid cheers and whistles from the gathering.
More importantly, the Pattiseema project has no mention of waters to Rayalaseema while the Tribunal Award clearly mentions that upper riparian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka can get up to 35 tmc ft additional share the moment, the project works were commenced, he pointed out.
Polavaram project was designed to bring Godavari flood waters to Krishna delta and Rayalaseema, but Pattiseema project was redundant in nature, Mr. Reddy said and claimed that Rayalaseema always got a raw deal under the TDP Government.
He charged the TDP of neglecting even the neighbouring Pulichintala Project as the TDP Government sanctioned only Rs.24 crore while former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ensured that 90 per cent of works were completed.
YSR Congress leaders would visit Veligonda project and Pothireddypadu Head Waterworks and pull up the TDP Government for its step-motherly treatment to Rayalaseema region, he added.
