PNS |
This was stated by Minister of Panchayati Raj and Parliament Affairs Kalpataru Das on behalf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik while moving the demand of Rs4,026.88 crore for expenditure relating to the Water Resources Department for the 2013-14 fiscal in the Assembly on Saturday.
He said the lower Suktel project could not make headway due to the protest by the affected people. But the State Government is determined to start the project with all sincerity and a proposal has gone to the Union Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) to extend the term for another four years along with cost escalation.
The project was approved by the Union Government in 2003 with an estimated cost of Rs217 crore, but the cost escalated to the tune of Rs1,100 crore.
Das said the Plan expenditure of DoWR has increased substantially during last few years. While it was Rs794.60 crore in 2007-08, it has gone up thrice to the tune of Rs2,571.52 crore in 2012-13. The non-Plan expenditure has increased from Rs311.87 crore in 2007-08 to Rs894.90 crore. The expenditure for the next fiscal has been pegged at Rs4,026 crore 88 lakh” the Minister said.
“As per State Water Policy 2007, the Government on priority basis has made provision of distribution of water. Drinking water and private use top the priority list followed by industry, ecology, irrigation, agriculture, pisciculture and allied uses, and hydro electricity are the next priority areas,” Das said.
On the contentious Polavaram project, he accused the Andhra Pradesh Government of violating the Interstate Water Distribution Agreement by going ahead with the project.