The contentious Polavaram (Indira Sagar) multi-purpose project envisages construction of a mega dam across the Godavari near Polavaram village in West Godavari district.
The project has been designed to irrigate 7.20 lakh acres with canals on right and left flank of the Godavari and generate 960 MW power. The project involves diversion of 25 tmcft to supply drinking water to Visakhapatnam and other habitations on the left flank and also diversion of 80 tmcft from Krishna barrage on the right flank by way of linking Krishna and Godavari rivers.
According to irrigation experts, the project entails submergence of 2 lakh acres, including 1.50 lakh acres of farm land and 0.50 lakh acres of forest land. Apart from causing extensive loss to the rich eco-system, including Papikondalu wildlife sanctuary, the project would displace over two lakh people, mostly Adivasis living in more than 300 villages, including 211 habitations in Khammam district and several hamlets in the neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Odisha States.
Various Adivasi organisations as well as political parties, like the CPI (M) and TRS, have opposed the project, citing alleged violation of tribal and environmental laws, besides safety issues involved in its construction. The Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee on Polavaram has also suggested alternative location and design.
While this is so, the Congress-led UPA government’s decision to accord national project status to the Polavaram and merger of villages in Khammam district with Andhra Pradesh to facilitate construction of the project triggered a series of agitations in the Bhadrachalam Agency.
Although the previous UPA government mooted shifting all the seven Polavaram submergence-prone mandals to the residuary AP, it could not pass an ordinance due to the poll code. The latest move of the BJP-led NDA government to issue an ordinance envisaging merger of the seven tribal sub-plan mandals with the successor State of AP kicked off a fresh controversy.
Bhadrachalam MLA Sunnam Rajaiah of the CPI (M) has already announced his decision to go on an indefinite fast in Bhadrachalam on May 29 against the Centre’s merger move.
