The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Polavaram works to begin within a fortnight

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Saturday, Oct 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Polavaram works to begin within a fortnight

By Our Staff Reporter

TENALI (GUNTUR DIST.), OCT. 15. The State Government will ground works on the right canal of the major irrigation project Polavaram on River Godavari within next the fortnight to divert water through the right canal to Guntur district, the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, announced at a public meeting here on Friday.

Pulichintala is only a beginning in the right direction, he said amid thundering applause from a gathering of more than 5,000 people at the slushy VSR and NVR College grounds.

The 100-year-old Pulichintala project proposals for which foundation was laid twice in 1961 by D. Sanjeevaiah and in 1988 by N.T. Rama Rao, will be completed in a time-bound manner in the next three years, he assured farmers. There was no water during the past three years for the 150-year-old delta, which would be not the case in future, he said.

"I am not taking care of interests of only one region, our Government proposes to complete the Janjhavathi, Vamsadhara projects along with Polavaram for the North Coastal Andhra districts, Dummagudem for the Telangana region and Hundri Neeva projects for Rayalaseema," Dr. Reddy listed out names of projects he proposed to give priority.

All-party decision

Rebutting the criticism of Telugu Desam Party leaders that he was functioning like the Chief Minster of Rayalaseema, he said that increasing the storage level to 854 feet in Srisailam Dam was a decision taken at the all-party meeting, which was conveyed in the form of G.O. No.107, but the Opposition was making an issue out of it.

The TDP must be ashamed of its deeds as it was their decision to reduce the storage level to 836 in Srisailam only to get loans from the World Bank, while it had not reacted to the increase in Alamatti dam level. The Alamatti dam was under construction from 1994 and the former Chief Minister never bothered to protect the interests of the State despite repeated reminders from the Congress, he pointed out.

Reacting positively to the proposal of the Minister for Cooperation, Kanna Lakshmi Narayana, the Chief Minister also promised to take up the Vadigapudisela major Lift Irrigation project to ensure water to tail-end areas of the NSP ayacut. The Tenali MP, Vallabhaneni Balashouri, presided.

Among those who participated included the Tenali MLA, Nadendla Manohar, the Guntur DCC president, Rayapati Srinivas, all MLAs of the district, the Avanigadda MLA, Buddha Prasad, and the Eluru MP, K.S. Rao.

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