The State government has decided to launch the works on the construction of Polavaram dam on Oct 22, coinciding with the foundation stone laying ceremony for the construction of the new Capital Amaravati by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The State Cabinet which discussed the issue during its marathon meeting on Saturday has resolved to invite the Prime Minister to formally launch the works on the construction of the dam which would help in effectively harnessing the Godavari water that is going waste into the sea annually.
Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said the government had released Rs. 60 crore for rehabilitation and resettlement of residents of seven villages located on the dam site.
Works on the construction of spill way and diaphragm walls had already commenced and the government had released Rs. 701 crore for works on the Polavaram right canal and the amount was being deposited into the accounts of the families that would be affected by the project. The project commenced during the previous Congress regime hit a roadblock following legal complications. The TDP government, however, considered the pleas made by the affected families sympathetically and ensured that they were compensated adequately.
The Minister said the government was committed to completing the first phase of works on the canals relating to Pattiseema project by August 15. The canals would ensure diversion of water from Godavari to Krishna delta, thereby, easing the pressure on Srisailam reservoir from where adequate quantities of water could be released to Telugu Ganga, Handri Neeva and other projects catering to the Rayalaseema region.
The Cabinet discussed the pending irrigation projects in the State and decided to provide assistance wherever needed besides plugging the loopholes that were hampering their expeditious completion.
