Cong Maha Padayatra to highlight govt negligence on Polavaram

- Tulasi Reddy demands that Centre should bear the entire cost of the project
- Alleges negligence of Central and the state governments for the slow pace of works

Tirupati: Congress party will organise a ‘Maha Padayatra’ to protest the delay in execution of Polavaram project and highlight the “failures” of governments both at the Centre and in state.

Speaking to media here on Tuesday, PCC vice-president N Tulasi Reddy said that the padayatra would begin from Dowleswaram in East Godavari district on January 7 and proceed 42 km to reach Polavaram on January 9. On January 10, the party will organise ‘Mass Satyagraha’ at Polavaram with four demands including that the Centre bear all the cost of the project cost as per the Section 90 of AP Reorganisation Act.

Tulasi Reddy also said that according to the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, relief and rehabilitation package has to be implemented without any compromise and the project should be completed by the end of 2018 at any cost. Finally, high quality has to be ensured in execution of the project otherwise consequences would be very serious, he warned.

He alleged that owing to the attitude of both the Central and the state governments the project was going at a snail’s pace. Had the Congress come to power in the last elections, the project would have been completed by now, he said. Going back to pre-Congress rule of Chandrababu Naidu, Tulasi Reddy said he had not spent even nine paise on Polavaram project during his 9-year rule. He spent only Rs.17 crores on Galeru-Nagari and Rs 13 crore on Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi projects, he said.

Though everything has to be monitored by the Central government, for the sake of commissions the Chief Minster had kept the project construction under his control, he alleged. “If the Congress is voted to power in the next elections both at the Centre and in the state, AP will definitely get the Special Category Status,” he said.