Polavaram on fast track

New Delhi: Polavaram project seems to have crossed all hurdles now with both the State and Central governments promising to complete the same on a 'fast track mode' henceforth. Minor issues that are dogging its progress would be addressed and resolved in a fortnight's time, the Centre has assured.
Addressing media after AP Chief Minister, N Chandrababu Naidu, met her, the Union Minister for Water Resources, Uma Bharti, said here on Sunday that the Centre was very much concerned over the delay due to various reasons. The prestigious project would be the second largest once completed (after Bhakranangal) and would go a long way in fulfilling the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi's dream of making India an irrigated country, she added.
Admitting that there were some financial constraints too and "perhaps, the Centre has not done enough", she added that her interaction with the Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, recently had paved way for the fund flow. "Funds would not be a constraint and impediments would also be addressed. Commitment is not in short supply. Target of 2018 is quite realistic. So don't think that AP and Centre are not working together in this. After all, it is Team India at work. AP and Centre are not two different countries", she said. Funds from the government and loan from NABARD were all possibilities and one should not apprehend fund constraint at all, she said. On whether she was satisfied with the efforts so far, she said "a Brahmin and a King must never be satisfied". Naidu said he was fully satisfied with the progress of work and that there was no lacunae on part of the State government at all and progress of the work right from the earth work was being measured by the authorities. He denied that there was any delay in submitting utilisation certificates to the Centre and added that the matter was being sorted with the officials. "The only hindrance was finance and as it is being streamlined now, it would be on a fast track", he said.