The Andhra Pradesh Government has said that it would not stop construction of the Polavaram multipurpose project in the larger interest of people of that State.
Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao stated this in response to the recent request of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in this regard.
In a letter to his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu, Patnaik had requested that construction work of project be stopped till Odisha’s concerns are addressed by the Supreme Court.
“We have acquired all the clearances required for the national project and we will go ahead with the construction. We want to complete the project by 2019,” Rao asserted.
He alleged that opposition YSR Congress and Congress parties were instigating other States (a reference to Chhattisgarh and Odisha), by raising the Polavaram issue in Parliament, to get the project stalled.
In the letter, Patnaik said construction of Polavaram was going on at a rapid pace without correctly assessing the design, flood and backwater extent in Malkangiri district of the State. He also stated that the construction was in violation of Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT) and without requisite permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Reacting to the AP Minister’s assertion, BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said, “Earlier Congress-led UPA Government had provided support and the present BJP-led NDA Government is providing support for the project. Hence, we have no other option rather than to knock at the doors of the court.”
However, Congress MlA Tara Prasad Bahini said BJP leader Bhrugu Baxipatra refuted Deb’s charge. They said Polavaram project works have expedited only due to the inefficiencies of the BJD Government.
“The State Government has failed to bring a stay order from the court. This reflects the State Government’s efficiency,” said Baxipatra.