The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Relief for contractors

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Wednesday, Jun 17, 2009
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Relief for contractors

Special Correspondent

Bills will be cleared on monthly basis: Ponnala

Rs. 276 cr. spent for building embankments in flood-prone villages
A dedicated pipeline to be laid to discharge water sent out by VTPS

HYDERABAD: The government will clear on a monthly basis the bills submitted by contractors for execution of irrigation projects.

Dispelling apprehensions among contractors about delay in payments due to the economic recession, Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah said bills to the tune of Rs. 15,000 crore till March 31 had been cleared. A further sum of Rs. 1,680 crore was released towards work executed in April and May.

Now, a sum of Rs, 250 crore would be released for land acquisition under various projects.

He told reporters after Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy reviewed the progress of the projects in Coastal Andhra region here on Tuesday that the contractors, at the same time, were required to expedite those projects so that water could be impounded during this season.

Floods

These projects were Pulichintala, Thotapalli, Musurumilli, Tharakaramathirtha and Vamsadhara.

Focussing on the likely floods in Godavari, Vamsadhara, and Nagavali, the Chief Minister asked officials to make field visits and identify weak points that posed danger to habitations so that fresh embankments could be built.

An amount of Rs. 276 crore has been spent on this purpose.

Mr. Lakshmaiah said as yet another step to prevent floods in Vijayawada, a dedicated pipeline would be laid to discharge the water sent out by the Vijayawada Thermal Power Station.

Meet on June 20

He would hold a meeting with irrigation, civic body and airport officials here on June 20 to resolve all issues to prevent submergence of some stretches of Visakhapatnam airport.

Polavaram issue

The Chief Minister would formally request the Prime Minister during his forthcoming visit to New Delhi to pose Polavaram to the Union Cabinet for its approval to treat it as national project and sanction Central funds accordingly.

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