Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that the Polavaram-Banakacharla interlinking project is like a gateway to Rayalaseema’s development. He requested Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to provide financial support for this project, which also plays a key role in the interlinking of national rivers.
He said that the project is currently in the study phase and the initial estimate is that it will cost Rs. 81,900 crore. The Chief Minister instructed the officials to examine the possibilities to implement this project without financial burden on the state. On Monday, he held a review meeting with the officials of the Water Resources Department on this project.
He said that this scheme has been planned to be built under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM), that is, Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. The target is to stabilize 3 lakh hectares of ayacut, provide irrigation water to 9.14 lakh hectares of ayacut, provide drinking water to 80 lakh people, generate 20 TMC for industrial purposes, and generate 200 MW of electricity.
For this, he explained that 200 TMC of Godavari flood water will be transferred to this project at the rate of two TMC per day for 100 days. He said that Lidar and drone surveys are already being carried out. He said that the electricity consumption required to transfer Godavari water from Polavaram with lifts can be reduced by setting up pumped storage and solar power plants in the project area.
Chandrababu asked officials to examine other options also and a detailed report (DPR) should be prepared by June 20th. He directed that the project be approved by the CWC by October 20th.
He wanted to get environmental clearances and start the work quickly. He appealed to include this scheme, which will bring about arable land in the drought-stricken Rayalaseema and Palnadu, in the National River Linking Scheme.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that the Centre will provide financial assistance under the development of backward areas as per the State Reorganization Act. During his recent visit to Delhi, Chandrababu handed over a three-page letter to Nirmala Sitharaman to this effect. He said that action plans have been prepared to implement this scheme in three phases.