AP Congress demands white paper on Polavaram project

The Andhra Pradesh Congress today demanded that the TDP government should come out with a white paper on Polavaram project to clear all the facts regarding the venture.
The demand comes in the backdrop of announcement by the Centre that members of the parliamentary standing committee and officials of the central water resources ministry will visit the project site to take stock of things. The date of their visit is not yet finalised.
"The centre accorded national project status to Polavaram irrigation project, under construction on Godavari river and it also agreed to provide funds to meet the expenditure of the project," said Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) spokesperson Kolanukonda Shivaji told reporters here today.

"The state government should come out with a white paper on the facts of Polavaram project," he said.
He said in 2014 the cost of the project was estimated at Rs 16,000 crore. The centre has so far released Rs 3,000 crore to the state towards the project but at the same time, the state submitted a report stating that it spent Rs 8,000 crore and demanded reimbursement of the expenditure.
Shivaji said the state has also submitted a revised estimation of the project at Rs 40,000 crore to the Centre.
The state's approach has created confusion about the project and at the same time, the centre doubts if it will be completed by 2018 as per the schedule, said Shivaji.