Has YSR Congress party president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy diverted even Central funds released for Polavaram major irrigation project to his pet schemes of Navaratnalu?
Well, this was the allegation made by Telugu Desam Party president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, while releasing a white paper on Polavaram project at a press conference on Friday.
Naidu alleged that Jagan had diverted more than Rs 3,385 crore released by the Centre towards completion of works on Polavaram project.
He said the previous TDP government had spent an amount of Rs 11,762.47 crore on the project between 2014 and 2019.
Of this amount, the Centre had reimbursed Rs 6,764.16 crore and by the time, the TDP lost power in the 2019 elections, the Centre was due to release the remaining amount of Rs 4,998.31 crore, which was released after the YSRCP government led by Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power.
“Between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2024, the Jagan government had spent only Rs 4996.53 crore, though the Central government had released an amount of Rs 8,382.11 crore to the state for completion of Polavaram project works,” he said.
Thus, an amount of Rs 3385.58 crore was diverted by the Jagan government for other schemes, instead of spending the same on the Polavaram project,” Naidu alleged.
He said the diversion of funds had badly affected the progress of the works of the project, including land acquisition and rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) of the project evacuees. Payment of bills for an amount of Rs 2697 crore was still pending as on May 31, 2024.
“All the executing agencies of the project have practically stopped the work due to non-payment of their pending bills,” he said.
