WHITE PAPER RELEASED ON POLAVARAM PROJECT Naidu: Jagan govt did more harm to AP than bifurcation Claims project saw only 4% progress in civil works under YSRCP govt, compared to 72% during his earlier tenure

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday alleged that the State suffered greater damage under the previous YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSRCP government than from the bifurcation of united Andhra Pradesh, citing the example of the Polavaram Project.
Naidu claimed that the project, which was completed up to 72% during his regime between 2014 and 2019, had only witnessed a 4% progress in civil works over the last five years under the YSRCP government.
“We all have the anguish that our state suffered immensely due to the bifurcation, but more than that loss, the devastation caused by Jagan between 2019 and 2024 turned into a curse for the state,” Naidu said while releasing a white paper on the Polavaram Project at the Secretariat.
According to Naidu, the mega irrigation project can store 194 tmcft of water, enable the utilization of 322 tmcft, irrigate 7.2 lakh acres, provide drinking water to 28.5 lakh people, and generate 960 MW of hydropower.
Saving about 500 tmcft to 700 tmcft of Godavari river waters from draining into the sea using the project and supplementing them with existing water resources across the state would eliminate the scope for famine, Naidu asserted.
Naidu noted that the earlier TDP regime had spent Rs 11,762 crore on the project, while the YSRCP government had expended only Rs 4,167 crore.
He highlighted that his successor had crippled the project mid-way by replacing existing contractors, resulting in cost and time overruns.
Sharing details of the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) meeting held on August 13, 2019, Naidu said that Reddy had gone ahead disregarding PPA’s recommendations not to replace the contractors.
Calling the YSRCP government a “blind political dispensation,” Naidu noted that the diaphragm wall, which was damaged in the 2020 floods, came to the YSRCP government’s notice only after two years.
Built at a cost of Rs 436 crore in 2018, the diaphragm wall’s repairs will now require Rs 447 crore. Naidu added that constructing a new one would impose a financial burden of Rs 990 crore, among other cost overruns.
Furthermore, he noted that the crucial height of the project had been reduced from 45.72 meters to 41.15 meters. However, he asserted that there should be no compromise with the original height as it is crucial for hydropower generation.
Naidu alleged that the YSRCP government had diverted Rs 3,385 crore of Central Government funds meant for the project, among other irregularities.
Claiming that the project had suffered greater damage than is publicly known, Naidu said the first priority is to resolve issues plaguing the coffer dam, diaphragm wall, guide bund, and other structures, after which the main works would be taken up.
He mentioned that the Centre has invited international experts from the US and Canada to assess the project for 10 days a month to offer their recommendations to salvage the damaged portions.
Moreover, Naidu said the state government will gather ideas from the public and proceed with help from the Centre to overcome all the hurdles.
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