PNS | Vijayawada
The efforts of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy are slowly bearing fruit with the Central government responding positively to his appeal for the speedy completion of the Polavaram project by ensuring that there is no shortage of funds.
To this effect, the Central Jal Sakthi department Secretary Pankaj Kumar on Monday recommended to the CWC Chairman Chandrasekhar Iyer, Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) CEO Shivnanda Kumar to immediately reimburse Rs 1,948.95 crore of the expenditure incurred by the State government for the project.
He also said that an amount of Rs 5,036.02 crore for land acquisition, resettlement of displaced persons, and project works are to be reimbursed by March next year.
The proposals have been sent to Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, to release Rs 5,036.32 crore for Polavaram. Sources say that the Minister will approve them in a day or two and send them to the Finance Department.
They said that Rs 3,087.37 crores required for the work to be done by March will be released in advance. CM YS Jagan has been consistently following up with the Centre since he became Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister for seeking funds for the completion of the Polavaram project based on the revised estimate cost along with the issues related to the state.
On January 3, the Chief Minister requested Prime Minister Modi to release Rs 10,000 crores as ad hoc (advance) for the quick completion of the project.Responding positively to this, the Centre formed a committee consisting of officials from the Union Ministry to resolve the issues raised by CM Jagan along with the release of ad hoc funds for Polavaram.
The committee formed by the Chief Minister with the state officials met thrice with this committee. In these meetings, the Central committee gave the green signal to grant funds to Polavaram on an ad hoc basis. It directed the Central Hydropower Department to send proposals to the Finance Department in this regard.
The State government has so far spent Rs 20,702.58 crore on the Polavaram project works.The state government has spent Rs 15,971.87 crore since April 1, 2014, after it was declared a national project. Out of which, the Centre has reimbursed Rs 13,098.57 crore so far. Further, Rs 2,873.30 crore has to be reimbursed.
