Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has said that the prime contractor of the Polavaram project, Transstroy, will not be changed, but action be taken against various contractors under the provisions of Section 60 C of the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) tender agreement.
Mr. Naidu was speaking to water resources officials, engineers and representatives of the different contractors involved in the construction of the project at the weekly review meeting, Polavaram-Somavaram, here on Monday.
He said that the government would use the powers vested with it by the agreement to complete the project by 2019.
He said the government would proceed by the rule book to surmount the problems that cropped in the execution of the project. The prime contractor would be continued as the Earth-cum-Rock-Filled (ECRF) dam and diaphragm wall works needed to be completed in this season itself.
The action that should be initiated under the provisions of the Section 60-C would be discussed threadbare in the next Cabinet meeting before a decision was taken, the Chief Minister said.
Mr Naidu told representatives of L&T and Bauer that the work given to them should be completed as per schedule.
Officials said that 55,000 cubic metres of concrete work was completed in the past fortnight. This was 10% less than the target stipulated. Responding to this, Mr. Naidu said that the pace of work should be speeded up.
The Chief Minister asked officials to take the steps needed to get the necessary approvals from the Central Water Commission (CWC) to ensure that there was no obstruction to work.
Ready for inauguration
Water resources officials said that ten of the irrigation projects that were scheduled for completion before December-end were ready for inauguration. Kogullu, Yerrakalava, Kandaleru lift, Marala, Cherlopalli, Siddapuram, Narasimharaya Sagar, Gorakalu, Owk Tunnel, Pedapalem (Guntur) and Chinnasana projects were ready for inauguration, the officials told Mr. Naidu.
These ten projects should be inaugurated, one after another in a span of just three days, the Chief Minister instructed the officials.
Big project
Secretary for Water Resources Shashi Bhushan Kumar said that land acquisition and R & R covered 75 per cent of the Polavaram Project cost. None of the other projects currently under construction in the country were as big, he said.
He said several programmes were being taken up in East and West Godavari districts for the rehabilitation of tribal youth.
