Chief Minister Naidu Appeals for Central Assistance to Expedite Polavaram Project

Synopsis

Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has urgently requested support from the Centre to complete the Polavaram project. He highlighted the need for financial reimbursement and assistance with the Banakacherla Link project aimed at transferring floodwater and providing essential resources to the state.

Key Takeaways

CM Naidu urges Centre for support on Polavaram.
Banakacherla Link project aims to mitigate drought.
80 lakh people to benefit from water supply.
Discussion with Union Ministers on various issues.
Gratitude for recent disaster relief funding.

Amaravati, Feb 20 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu, made a formal appeal on Thursday for the Centre's assistance to expedite the completion of the Polavaram project on an urgent basis.

Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, CM Naidu met with Union Minister of Jal Shakti C. R. Patil in New Delhi.

In a post on 'X', the Chief Minister conveyed that they sought reimbursement for expenses incurred in constructing the Polavaram Left and Right canals and emphasized the need for all necessary support to ensure the project's swift completion.

"We also requested Sri Paatil Garu's backing for the Polavaram Banakacherla Link project, which aims to divert 200 TMC of floodwater from the Godavari river at Polavaram to Banakacherla via a linking canal," stated the Chief Minister.

He highlighted that the Banakacherla Link Project would render the state drought-proof, providing drinking water to 80 lakh people, irrigating 3 lakh hectares of new land, supplementing 9.14 lakh hectares, and allocating 20 TMC of water for industrial use.

CM Naidu and Pawan Kalyan were in the national capital to witness the swearing-in ceremony of the new Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta.

Additionally, CM Naidu is anticipated to reach out to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

The Chief Minister is expected to address various project-related issues with Union Minister Shah.

He also plans to bring up the concerns of chilli farmers with Union Minister Chouhan.

Naidu, who has previously written several letters to the Centre regarding the issues faced by chilli farmers, intends to directly discuss these matters with the Union Minister and seek Central support.

On Wednesday, Naidu expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah for allocating Rs 608.08 crore for the state under disaster and flood relief.

The High-Level Committee (HLC), chaired by Home Minister Shah, approved Rs 1,554.99 crore in additional Central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to five states affected by last year's floods, landslides, and cyclonic storms.