E-Paper
Jagan urges Modi to release dues for Polavaram
Jagan requested that the supply of drinking water be included as a part of the Polavaram project. He said the state government was providing immediate benefits to the families affected by the Polavaram project when water level is maintained at 41.15 metres.
Hyderabad
YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to see that the Centre release pending arrears to the state towards the expenditure incurred on Polavaram major irrigation project on the Godavari river.
Jagan, who had an hour-long interaction with the Prime Minister in New Delhi, submitted a long wish-list to him on various issues pertaining to the state.
An official release from the chief minister’s office said Jagan brought to the notice of Modi that the Centre had not yet reimbursed ₹2,937.92 crore to the state government, which it had spent from its own funds in the last two years. He appealed to the Prime Minister to disburse these funds immediately.
The chief minister reminded the Prime Minister that the technical advisory committee had already approved the cost of ₹55,548 crore for the entire project, yet the state hadn’t received it. Moreover, the construction cost of the project should not be looked at component-wise as it would not just increase the cost of construction but also further delay the whole project, he said.
Jagan requested that the supply of drinking water be included as a part of the Polavaram project. He said the state government was providing immediate benefits to the families affected by the Polavaram project when water level is maintained at 41.15 metres.
“The rehabilitation and resettlement of the evacuees would cost the state approximately ₹10,485.38 crore. If the said amount is sanctioned immediately, work would progress rapidly,” he said and added that post disbursement of funds, work related to land acquisition and rehabilitation would be completed at the earliest.
Besides Polavaram, the chief minister discussed various other issues like fulfilment of promises made by the Centre during state bifurcation including special category status to AP, central intervention to ensure reimbursement of pending electricity arrears from Telangana power distribution companies, amendments to the National Food Security Act to enable supply of rice to 56 lakh eligible families under PM Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana, allotment of 12 more medical colleges to the state, sanctioning of iron ore for Kadapa steel plant and approval of metro rail project in Visakhapatnam.
