With the Union finance ministry writing to Polavaram Project Authority, scaling down the cost of prestigious Polavaram major irrigation project on Godavari river to Rs 20,398 crore, a blame game of sorts has begun between Telugu Desam Party and ruling YSR Congress party in Andhra Pradesh.
The TDP leaders have blamed it on chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy for failing to convince the Centre about the actual cost of Polavaram project.
“In an attempt to score political mileage, the YSRC had alleged that the previous TDP government had escalated the project cost to benefit the contractors. Now, the Centre has decreased the project cost. How can the Jagan government complete the project cost now?” TDP leaders asked.
TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh said while the previous TDP regime had convinced the Centre to approve Rs 55,448 Cr for Polavaram, the Jagan Reddy government could get just Rs 20,000 crore.
He demanded that Jagan and his party MPs owed an explanation to AP people as to why the Centre had cut down the funds.
However, state irrigation minster P Anil Kumar Yadav shot back at the TDP leaders. He alleged that the Centre had scaled down the project cost only because the TDP had failed to project the cost of rehabilitation and resettlement.
“In the first place, why did the Naidu government take over execution of Polavaram project when it was the responsibility of the Centre to construct it? Why didn’t he take up rehabilitation of project evacuees on war footing? Why didn’t he think of submergence villages?” Anil asked.
He said the state government would represent the issue to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and get the entire project cost approved.
