The Hindu : New Delhi News : Centre urged to clear Polavaram quickly

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Thursday, Jul 10, 2008
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Centre urged to clear Polavaram quickly

J. Balaji

‘Plans to interlink rivers seem to be confined to paper’

Project okayed 18 years ago by Water Disputes Tribunal
Archaic procedures mire granting clearances: Ponnala

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah has urged the Centre to clear the Polavaram project, which is under dispute among the States of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa, quickly.

Addressing a conference of National Water Development Agency (NWDA), convened by Union Water Resources Minister Saifuddin Soz, here on Wednesday, Mr. Lakshmaiah said what was the use of making new proposals for interlinking of rivers across the State borders if the Polavaram project, which was in tune with the NWDA, was not cleared by the Centre.

The project was approved 18 years ago by the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal, and the Award had the legal and statutory status equal to the Supreme Court ruling. It should be first approved by the Central Water Commission (CWC). If a project, that was supported by agreements between the States concerned, had not been cleared by the Centre, what was the use of making new proposals for interlinking of rivers across the State borders, he wondered.

“It is a matter of great disquiet that the Centre is not clearing the Polavaram project. The proposals of interlinking of rivers will only remain on paper unless the Centre takes initiative to clear projects like Polavaram, that are aiming at the same objective and meets all the legal requirements, by convincing the State concerned to change their antagonistic attitudes towards such projects.”

Mr. Lakshmaiah regretted that the processes involved for granting clearances for irrigation projects in States was still mired in archaic procedures.

The Centre, in this case, still acted with the mentality of a regulator instead of a facilitator. The irrigation projects were taken up by State governments not with a profit motive but for public welfare. “It is high time that the Centre adopts the role of a facilitator and puts in place single window clearance mechanism for such projects,” he suggested.

Increase package

He said Andhra Pradesh had taken the initiative to take up irrigation projects as a priority under the Jalayagnam programme. It was investing considerable funds to provide irrigation facilities to 1 lakh acres. The Centre should not only act as a facilitator but actively encourage irrigation projects.

The allocations made to Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was quite low compared to the funds needed for achieving the targets under the Bharat Nirman programme.

The investments should be increased and the percentage of grant under the Prime Minister’s special package for districts with farmers’ distress should be increased, he said.

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