The Central Government has been saying that it wouldn’t fund the state government with the funds that were estimated for the Polavaram project in 2017, but that it would fund the government with the funds that were estimated in 2014, for many days now. This means an immense financial burden on the Andhra Pradesh government.
According to the latest reports, the construction of the Polavaram dam is completed by 71.54%, and the rehabilitation works are completed by 19.85%. On the whole, the construction of the entire project is completed by 41.05%. On the other hand, the Central government has revealed through the Right to Information Act that it has nothing to do with the rehabilitation and compensation works, and that the state government has to take care of it completely.
The Central government has also said that Rs. 8,614 Crores have been spent on the Polavaram project since 2015, and a total of Rs. 950 Crores have been sanctioned by the Center for the project. Additionally, a total of Rs. 7,664 Crores have been sanctioned for the project by NABARD. The pending amount that is to be paid to the state now stands at Rs. 2,234 Crores.
With the additional financial burden now falling on the shoulders of the Andhra Pradesh government, whose economy is not in the best condition right now, several rumors have started to spread that the YSRCP government is planning to scrap the Polavaram project and put it on hold for now. What continues to remain a mystery is why the Jagan government is not fighting hard enough for the project, and making sure that it will be completed properly. Several political circles have begun to question why the AP government is not rebelling against the BJP, which is snatching away every golden opportunity for the state.
Polavaram is not just a project, it is a lifeline to the people of Andhra Pradesh. First off, Special status was snatched away from AP, then there is the Capital issue, and now, it is the Polavaram project. It is sad to see the three main lifelines of Andhra Pradesh being snatched away from its people in such a terrible way. It is now to be seen how Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan, and other political parties will react to this disparity.