Despite Odisha’s opposition, Andhra Pradesh seems determined to go ahead with its Polavaram multipurpose project across the Godavari river. Many villages and cultivable lands of Malkangiri district are expected to be submerged by the project.
This is known from the fact that the Andhra Pradesh Governor ESl Narasimhan in his address to Andhra Pradesh legislative Assembly on Saturday said that his Government aims to complete the Polavaram project by March 2018.
Narasimhan said though the Union Budget has allocated only Rs 100 crore for the project, the State would make all-out efforts to complete the dream project by date. He said the project would be the life-line of Andhra Pradesh and has been declared by the Centre as a national project.
The proposed project is likely to irrigate over 7 lakh acres of land in Andhra Pradesh and produce 960 MW of hydel energy. The project cost was estimated at Rs 16,500 crore in 2010-11.
However, neighbours like Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh have voiced serious objection to the project. Odisha fears that the project would cause irreparable damage to as many as 25 villages in Malkangiri district due to inundation.