Chief minister Naveen Patnaik has hit out at the Andhra Pradesh government again over its finalisation of tenders for the controversial Polavaram project.
Irked over the development, Patnaik has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking his intervention. “The finalization of tenders for the Polavaram project is unfortunate since the matter relating to the project is still sub-judice. The project will inundate large parts of Malkangir district,” he stated in the letter to the Prime Minister.
The Andhra Pradesh government has finalised the tenders for the construction of the controversial multipurpose Polavaram project, over River Godavari, even as the petitions filed by the Chattisgarh and Odisha governments opposing the project are still pending in the Supreme Court.
The Polavaram project, whose total capacity is 287.47 thousand million cubic ft, is aimed at providing irrigation to 0.43 million hectares in east Godavari, west Godavari, Visakhapatnam and Krishna districts, drinking water supply to towns and villages and generating hydel power with an installed capacity of 960 MW.