Polavaram will be ready by 2018

Complete Pattiseema Project by Aug 15, Naidu tells officials

Eluru: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the officials and contract agencies to complete the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project by August 15 at any cost.The Chief Minister toured Pattiseema and Polavaram I areas in Polavaram Mandal of West Godavari District on Thursday afternoon. He reviewed the progress of works at the project sites. The Chief Minister also held a review meeting with irrigation and project officials.

He pointed out that the Pattiseema project was taken up to supply drinking and irrigation water to the region and added that with the completion of this project the State would be drought-free. The Chief Minister said that by 2018, Polavaram project would be completed and added that Godavari should be linked with other rivers to supply water to all places.

Godavari water would be diverted to Krishna River and it would be channeled to Penna to supply drinking and irrigation water. With a view to the benefit that would be derived from the project, the officials and engineers should speed up the works in coordination, he said. He asked the officials to make use of latest methods and technology to speed up the work.

He said steps would be taken up to rehabilitate the displaced people in seven main villages under Polavaram project. So far land acquisition was completed in four villages, he added. The Collector would take necessary steps to complete land acquisition in three villages during this month, the CM said.

Chandrababu said that the Polavaram Left Main Canal (LMC) should also be completed by settling the problems that had cropped up in Visakhapatnam and East Godavari district. He said the canal construction should be aligned to divert the hill top area project water. He also directed the officials to take action to complete the bridges across national highways, culverts at railway level crossings in coordination with the concerned officials.

Chandrababu directed officials to give rehabilitation package to the displaced farmers and the residents of Chegondapalli, Ramayyapeta, Paidipaka. The Superintending Engineer Irrigation VS Ramesh Babu explained about the Polavaram and Pattiseema project work through power point presentation.

Later, the Chief Minister visited Pattiseema Project and observed the pump house construction works. Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, Municipal Minister P Narayana, Irrigation Principal Secretary Adityanadh Das, Irrigation Engineer-in Chief M Venkateswara Rao, Transtroy construction agency Executive Director M Sambasiva Rao, Pattiseema project agency Mega director Ch Subbayya participated in the review meeting.

The Chief Minister then proceeded to Devarapalli by road through Pallantla-Lakshmipuram canal.
At Devarapalli he reviewed the Polavaram Right Main Canal works. In his tour from Pattiseema to Devarapalli he also observed the works of the canals. He expressed his ire over the delay in completion of the works. He asked the project officials to use more heavy machinery to complete the works in time.