After Odisha and Chhattisgarh, now Telangana is also worried over Polavaram project, as there is serious concern among the people that it may submerge various populated areas in the State.
Minister for Irrigation and Command Area Development (CAD) T Harish Rao presented a memorandum to Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti on June 7 at New Delhi, expressing concern over such submergence. Giving out details, Special Chief Secretary Irrigation and CAD SK Joshi said that the Indira Sagar Polavaram Project in Andhra Pradesh concerns the Government of Telangana over such submergence.
Joshi said concern of the Government of Telangana is that the project may submerge temple town of Bhadrachalam, Dummugudam, Manuguru Power Plant and Singareni coal mines. So Rao expressing concern urged Union Minister Uma Bharti to ensure that no submergence in the State takes place.
Odisha and Chhattisgarh are opposing Polavaram project tooth and nail as it will submerge vast tribal areas of the State. Recently, the Odisha Government expressed concern over submergence by Polavaram project and urged the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) to keep backwater effect on construction of Polavaram dam limited to the Reduced level (Rl) plus 150 feet in Odisha territory in accordance with all the agreements and clearances given earlier. Chief Secretary AP Padhi making the appeal on behalf of the Government urged NCST Chairperson Dr Rameshwar Oraon at New Delhi to re-examine all clearances such as environmental, MoTA, forest and TAC.
Padhi also urged NCST to grant any other relief to the tribal population within the affected area of Odisha due to construction of the Polavaram dam.
Due to the Polavaram project, 7,656 hectares of area in Odisha will be submerged. 25 villages will be submerged having tribal population of 5,916 as per 2001 Census and 902 others having a total population of 6,818 will be displaced. This also violates MoTA clearance.
Odisha has filed a suit in the Supreme Court of India against the Government of Andhra Pradesh with a prayer against the construction of the Polavaram project and against statutory clearances granted by MoEF and MoTA.
Hearing will be taken up in the Supreme Court on July 11, said sources. Chhattisgarh has also expressed serious concern over the possibility of displacement of tribal villages in Chhattisgarh. Indira Sagar Polavaram multipurpose irrigation project work is being taken up in Andhra Pradesh. Both Odisha and Telangana have already expressed their reservations while many villages in Chhattisgarh are likely to be affected. Nearly 40,000 tribal population of Chhattisgarh is likely to be affected.