Chandrababu Naidu Claims Polavaram Project Suffered Severely Under Jagan Mohan Reddy's Leadership

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, while releasing a White Paper on the Polavaram project, criticized the previous government for neglecting the project. “During our regime (2014-19), we completed 72 percent of the work. But the YSRCP government advanced it by only 4 percent. While we spent over ₹11,700 crore on the project, they spent only ₹4,000 crore, resulting in significant damage,” he said.

Releasing the White Paper on the project in Amaravati on Friday, Naidu alleged that the project has suffered immensely during the 2019-24 rule of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, causing substantial losses and pushing the project into disarray. He claimed the damage inflicted by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government was greater than that caused by the state bifurcation.

“The former Chief Minister halted work on the project from day one of assuming office. They replaced the contractor and transferred several efficient officers. For over 18 months, there was no progress at all. As a result, floodwaters washed away the concrete works,” he stated.

Naidu mentioned that it would take more time for officials to assess the damage. He emphasized that if completed, the project would have provided water to 7.2 lakh acres and stabilized irrigation to 23.50 lakh acres annually.

“It would have generated 960 MW of power, besides providing water to the north coastal districts and industries,” he added.

Criticizing the Jagan Mohan Reddy government for its recklessness, inefficiency, and indifferent attitude towards the project, Naidu appealed to the people to understand the situation and cooperate with the government in rectifying the issues.

He announced that the White Paper was one of seven that the government planned to release in the coming days ahead of the Budget presentation next month. These documents aim to shed light on the state of affairs in different sectors, giving the public a comprehensive view of the state’s financial condition.

“The Union Government is going to present the Budget in the next few weeks. We will also come out with the Budget for the State,” he concluded.

HBL