The Hindu : Front Page : Hurdles on Polavaram to be overcome: CM

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 28, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Hurdles on Polavaram to be overcome: CM

Staff Reporter

‘State facing minor problem in the implementation of only two of the major projects’

SATHUPALLI (Khammam dt.): Chief Miinister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy said that the Government would overcome all the hurdles being faced in the implementation of Polavaram (Indirasagar) project.

He told mediapersons, after taking stock of the progress in the works on the Indirasagar lift scheme, that the State was facing a minor problem in the implementation of only two of the major projects - Polavaram and Pulichintala - thanks to the obstacles created by some of the Opposition parties.

But nothing would come in the way of the two projects taken up under the Jalayagnam. He explained that about 95 per cent of the works on the Polavaram project were going on as scheduled without any interruption.

There was some delay in respect of only five per cent of the works which involved the forest area.

Works on the canal system as well as the other packages of the project were in full progress.

Three-year target

The Chief Minister said that the Indirasagar lift scheme would be completed in three years. Commending the efforts made by the project authorities to complete it ahead of the four-year construction schedule, he said that some 80,000 tonnes of steel costing Rs 260 crore would go into the manufacture of pipes for the project which would help irrigate two lakh acres in Khammam, West Godavari and Krishna districts.

Replying to a query, he said the lift scheme would be implemented as scheduled and even in case of any delay in the Indirasagar project, it would not be affected.

He said Dummugudem (Rajivsagar lift scheme) would also be completed by 2011. The work on the lift scheme was grounded three months after the Indirasagar lift scheme.

Blames Opposition

The Chief Minister said the implementation of projects such as Polavaram could have been easier had it been in China where no courts or Opposition parties would come in your way.

He attributed the delay in the implementation of some of the projects in the State to some Opposition parties bent upon scuttling the development process.

He said that the government had embarked on an ambitious programme for developing irrigation facilities in the State by harnessing the available water resources immediately after coming to power in May 2004.

But the programme could not take off for nearly one year because of the PILs and the negative campaign of the Opposition parties.

Instead of supporting the implementation of the huge projects, the Opposition parties had launched a tirade against them.

He said that a more responsible role was expected of the press which could be a better judge of the implementation of the projects.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page