Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday created a stir by proposing the turning of the Polavaram Right Main Canal to a “river”.
“No other canal in the country is as large as the Polavaram Right Main Canal and has such a huge discharge. It is my wish to rename Polavaram Right Main Canal as Pattiseema River,” Mr. Naidu said.
Minister for Water Resources Umamaheswara Rao, however, said that the Chief Minister made a suggestion about renaming the Polavaram Right Main Canal and the officials were looking into it.
The Chief Minister expressed his wish to rename the canal while reviewing the work in progress on Polavaram Project site through “virtual inspection” using drones from here on Monday.
On the occasion, Mr. Naidu asked the officials to procure drones, CCTVs and Lidar technology for inspecting the works. He also wanted the officials to design a website on Polavaram project and upload information on day to day basis. Internet connectivity would be provided at the project through the fibre grid, he said.
Mr. Umamaheswara Rao later addressing the media said a time-bound micro-level plan for the execution of Polavaram Project would be prepared and presented to Chief Minister within a week.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday Mr. Rao said that utmost importance was being given to Polavaram Project.
The Chief Minister will review progress once a week on Monday and inspect the project site once in three weeks.
Former Minister and TDP leader Vadde Sobhanadreeswara Rao felt that naming the right canal as Pattiseema river would hurt the interest of the Sate. The Telangana State would approach Apex Council if such a decision was taken, he said.
The first meeting of Apex Council comprising the Union Water Resources Minister and the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States is scheduled in New Delhi on September 21.
The Telangana government is gearing up to get its share of 45 tmcft from Polavaram project saying it was eligible for it being a riparian State.
The Telangana government is likely to raise the issue at the Apex Council meeting.
Mr. Umamaheswara Rao said the Congress leaders, who could not get nine villages vacated delaying the Polavaram Project by ten years,wWS had no morale right to demand a reduction in dam height at this eleventh hour.
It is my wish to rename Polavaram Right Main Canal as Pattiseema River, the Chief Minister said
