Vijayawada: Water resources minister Nimmala Ramanaidu on Wednesday said that 13 per cent of the works on the Polavaram irrigation project were completed within 18 months of the coalition government coming to power, taking the overall progress of the project to 87 per cent.

Addressing the media after reviewing irrigation works at his camp office here, the minister strongly criticised the YSRCP for questioning the progress of Polavaram project works. He said the party, which could complete only 2 per cent of the works during its five-year tenure, had no moral right to criticise the present government. He recalled that between 2014 and 2019, when the TDP-led government was in power, 72 per cent of the project works were completed.

Ramanaidu said the Polavaram project was now moving at a fast pace under the direct supervision of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. The government aims to complete the project and dedicate it to the nation by the end of 2027, preferably before the Godavari Pushkarams in 2027, he added.

The minister alleged that the previous YSRCP government had diverted Rs 3,000 crore reimbursed by the Centre, causing severe damage to the project. He said the new diaphragm wall being constructed in place of the damaged one was 1,032 metres long and that 83 per cent of the work had already been completed.

Highlighting rehabilitation efforts, Ramanaidu said that Rs 1,894 crore was released to project-affected families within just one year after the coalition government assumed office, crediting Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for this achievement.

He also announced that the Polavaram Left Main Canal works would be completed and water would be supplied up to Anakapalle by 2026.

Referring to other irrigation projects, the minister said the government was committed to completing the Veligonda project by the start of the 2026 season. He informed that the Chief Minister would inspect the Veligonda project in the first week of January and would inaugurate works on the Veligonda feeder canal, being taken up at a cost of Rs 456 crore.

Ramanaidu further stated that the coalition government was determined to complete all irrigation projects in Rayalaseema, including Handri-Neeva, and projects in North Andhra within stipulated timelines.

Irrigation adviser M Venkateswara Rao and engineer-in-chief Narasimha Murthy were also present.