A delegation of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has met top officials of ministries of environment and tribal affairs in New Delhi and apprised them of adverse impacts of Andhra Pradesh's Polavaram irrigation project on livelihood, land and interest of indigenous people in Odisha's Malkangiri district, the party said on Thursday. The team met the central officials on Wednesday. The BJD delegation, led by senior leader and former minister Debi Prasad Mishra, had also met Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Paatil in the national capital on Tuesday and apprised him of the potential of submergence of large areas in Malkangiri due to the construction of the multi-purpose project in the neighbouring state. The team met Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Secretary Leena Nandan and submitted a memorandum to her, highlighting how the Polavaram project would cause extensive damage to the flora and fauna in tribal-majority Malkangiri district of Odisha. The BJD memorandum said, The Polavaram projec
The BRS government has projected the Kaleshwaram project as an engineering feat and has claimed that the project will help the farmers in the state
The Supreme Court Tuesday suggested the Centre call for a meeting of all the stakeholders to discuss and resolve the issues concerning the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh. The apex court observed it would be in the "fitness of thing" if the Centre takes an initiative in calling all the stakeholders so that the project could move forward and the concerns are addressed. A bench headed by Justice S K Kaul noted that there are concerns expressed by the states of Odisha, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh regarding the impact of the project in as much as it may result in flooding of certain areas. The bench, also comprising Justice A S Oka and Vikram Nath, also noted that it has been submitted that the project, as envisaged, has been expanded to a much larger extent and there are issues concerning environmental clearances as well on account of its expansion. The top court suggested that a "pioneering role must be played by the Ministry of Jal Shakti and a meeting be called of all the ...
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and sought Rs 10,000 crore on an ad-hoc basis to expedite the Polavaram Irrigation Project on the Godavari river. Later, the chief minister also paid a courtesy visit to President Droupadi Murmu. In his 40-minute meeting with Modi, the CM said the "lack" of funds was delaying the completion of the Polavaram project and requested him to approve the revised cost estimate of Rs 55,548.87 crore, an official statement said. He also demanded the Centre reimburse Rs 2,900 crore spent by the state government on the Project, and requested the PM to clear the bills fortnightly like in other national projects and not component-wise. Further, the chief minister, who was on a two-day visit to Delhi, requested the PM to sanction, "Rs 10,000 crore on an ad-hoc basis so that the construction works of the project can proceed smoothly." He also appealed to the PM to provide relief and ...
The ongoing mega Polavaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh will be completed by December 2021 as per the revised tender floated by the state government, Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said in Rajya Sabha. Responding to queries during Question Hour, the minister, however, said the completion of this project will depend on how fast the state government settle the issue of rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R). The proposed Polavaram Irrigation project aims to irrigate 2.91 lakh hectares, generate 960 MW of power, and fulfil water needs of industries and 540 villages in Andhra Pradesh. "...this project is being constructed by the state government. The revised tender floated a couple of weeks ago by the state government. As per the new revised tender agreement, they have given the date of completion of the project as December, 2021. So, I hope, by December, 2021, this project will be completed," Shekhawat said in the Upper House. Treating it as a national ...
In the last three-and-a-half years, the Centre has released Rs 3,350 crore for Polavaram project