The Union government has, in principle, granted ₹2,000 crore to complete the construction of the damaged diaphragm wall of the Polavaram irrigation project across the Godavari in Andhra Pradesh.
The diaphragm wall was damaged as a portion it had been washed away in the Godavari floods.
Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on June 6 (Tuesday) inspected the ongoing works at the project site and enquired about the action plan to carry out various repair works, including that of the diaphragm wall.
In a high-level meeting later, Water Resource Department engineers told Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy that “the Ministry of Finance has issued a memorandum for the grant of ₹12,911.15 crore to complete the first phase of the Polavaram project. It includes ₹2,000 crore meant for construction of the damaged diaphragm wall.”
The Ministry of Finance had also communicated its decision on the grant to the Ministry of Jal Shakthi.
Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the irrigation engineers and the project developer, Megha Engineering and Projects Limited (MEIL), to ensure the completion of the diaphragm wall work by December.
“The damage to the diaphragm wall has led to delay in the construction of the earth-cum-rock-fill (ECRF) dam. It has also led to delay in the entire project, apart from causing an additional cost of ₹2,000 crore estimated to be spent on the repair of the diaphragm wall,” he said.
“The main dam work can be kick-started only after completion of the diaphragm wall work, which should be completed on a war-foot basis,” he added.
In his half-day field visit, the Chief Minister inspected every component of the project and enquired about the designs and their execution.
In a presentation and photo exhibition, the Chief Minister was shown the status of the construction before and after the floods.
