Andhra CM reviews Polavaram Irrigation Project

The Polavaram Irrigation Project in Amaravati has achieved 53 percent progress, Andhra Pradesh officials told Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in their 51st PIP review on Monday.

The progress work includes the headworks, the Right Main Canal and the Left Main Canal.

At least 71 percent of the excavation for the spillway and spill channel, 39 percent of the headworks, and 30.57 percent of the concreting for the spillway and the stilling basin has been completed, the report said.

Water Resources Secretary Shashi Bhushan said the minutes of these weekly review meetings and the project status updates were regularly updated on the Polavaram and the Water Resources Department websites.

The Chief Minister urged the contractors in charge of the Left Main Canal to ensure faster progress and asked for a detailed plan and date of completion by the next Monday.

The report said total Rs 12,915.38 crore of expenditure was incurred up to December 31 last year, and Rs 4,932.26 crore was already reimbursed by the Centre up to February 9.

Out of the 28 priority projects, seven have been inaugurated and six will be inaugurated during the 116 days of Jalasamrakshana Udyama Spoorthi.

The six projects are the Pogonda Reservoir in West Godavari, the Pedapalem Lift Irrigation Scheme, the Chinasana Lift Irrigation Scheme, the Owk Tunnel, Gorakallu Balancing Reservoir and the Pulikanuma Lift Irrigation Scheme.

The Chief Minister also discussed the progress on priority as well as non-priority projects. The Korisapadu Lift Irrigation Scheme will be completed by March 31 in 2018; the Gundlakamma Reservoir will be completed in the third week of February and will be inaugurated in March when there is a movement of water.