Polavaram (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 27 : Reaffirming that the Polavaram project is the state's lifeline, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said that the state government totally has the responsibility of doing justice to the displaced who sacrificed everything for the project.
"Rehabilitation of all the displaced will be completed before the water is released from the project. The project will be inaugurated only after that," Chandrababu Naidu, who is on a visit to Polavaram, said during an interaction with the displaced.
Earlier, the Chief Minister inspected the ongoing project works from an aerial view.
The Chief Minister told the displaced that very little compensation was paid to the displaced before the TDP-led NDA came to power in 2014 and stated that after the NDA came to power, Rs 4,311 crores was paid to them. But the party that assumed power in 2019 did not even think about the displaced even once in the five-year term, and there are no indications that it even considered even once the problems being faced by the displaced, he remarked.
"As seven mandals in Telangana needed to be merged with Andhra Pradesh to complete Polavaram, we could convince the Prime Minister then about this. To the maximum extent possible, we moved forward to do justice and come to your rescue. After the TDP-led NDA came to power in 2024, Rs 829 crores was deposited to the accounts of the displaced," the Chief Minister said and asked the refugees whether the former chief minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, had paid Rs 10 lakh compensation to each of them as promised.
Maintaining that not even a single rupee compensation was paid to the displaced during the YSRCP rule, the Chief Minister said that even when the area was hit with heavy floods, that party did not come to the rescue of the affected.
"Again, they will approach you, promising the moon," he said, asking them to be cautious about this.
Had the TDP come to power again in 201,9, the project would have been completed by 2020 itself, the Chief Minister said, and he expressed concern that the expenditure has gone up due to the delay in completing the project. The diaphragm wall, which was built at Rs 400 crore, was completely washed away due to negligence adopted by the previous government. The Chief Minister mentioned that a new diaphragm wall is again being built at Rs 990 crores.
"Public money was heavily wasted," Chandrababu said, stating that with every rupee that is spent, people should get benefits.
"Public money should be spent for the sake of people but should not be misused," he observed.
Chandrababu told the displaced people that he worked so hard to complete the project by converting every Monday during his previous tenure as the day of Polavaram and that he personally visited the project 33 times.
He assured the refugees that rehabilitation would be completed by 2027 without giving any chance to middlemen and cheaters.
"There are complaints from some affected that their names have been deleted, and necessary action will be taken after an inquiry into the matter. Compensation will be paid for all the eligible, and we will ensure that justice is done to anyone," the Chief Minister said.
Informing that the previous rulers had diverted the funds released by the Centre for Polavaram, he felt that had the project been completed on time, all of them would have been settled by now. Also, had the hydel project of Polavaram been completed, the State would have got Rs 2,500 crores revenue, but now, due to the delay, the cost has gone up, which is an additional burden now, the Chief Minister regretted.
After paying the compensation, he promised to initiate steps to increase revenue and upgrade their living standards. He said that they were extending their full cooperation for the construction of the project.
"Be bold; this is your Government and a regime of us all," the Chief Minister said, acknowledging that Tribals sacrificed more for the project.
Chandrababu promised to pay an additional Rs 75,000 for Tribals who want to build their own houses.