Jagan Reddy directs officials to prioritise Polavaram project completion

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed officials to give top priority to the completion of the Polavaram project.

At a review meeting held on Monday, Jagan enquired about the present status of the project and period of completion and said if there is any instance of awarding works on nomination quoting a high price, the state government will opt for reverse tendering to save money to the exchequer.

Giving details of the projects, Principal secretary of irrigation Sasibushan Kumar said the state government has spent Rs 11,537 crore so far on the Polavaram project and the central government has to reimburse Rs 4,810 crore. The official said another Rs 12000 crore is necessary for the completion of civil works, and Rs 27000 crore towards R & R package, an official statement read.

The Chief Minister made it clear that he would not tolerate corruption at any stage and appealed to the officials to furnish details of excess rates. He also said he would felicitate officials who could save 20 per cent of the project cost by revealing the irregularities.

During the meeting, Jagan directed officials to prepare plans to utilise the Godavari water going waste into the sea. Officials should prepare proposals to divert the Godavari water to other parts of the state by storing water in nearby reservoirs and tanks, he mentioned. He also asked officials to study the possibility of utilising the Buckingham canal for diverting Godavari water.

The YSRCP Chief asked officials to prepare a report on priority projects in the state and said he would inspect the Polavaram project work soon and convene a detailed review meeting on irrigation on June 6.