Rehabilitation Before Releasing Water From Polavaram, Says Naidu

Polavaram: Declaring that the Polavaram project will be completed by 2027 with the support of the central government, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said before the project, the lifeline for the State, is made ready, they will do justice for those who sacrificed everything for the project. After an inspection of the progress of the multi-purpose project, he said "we will complete the rehabilitation of all displaced families before releasing water from the project. Only then will we commence operations," he asserted.

He undertook an aerial survey of the Polavaram project and later held a face-to-face meeting with the displaced families. "Before we came to power in 2014, the compensation given to displaced families was very minimal. After the NDA government took charge in 2014, we disbursed Rs4,311 crore in compensation. However, the government that came to power in 2019 neither thought about you nor cared for your problems in the last five years. They didn’t even acknowledge your hardships," he pointed out.

“To ensure the completion of Polavaram, we had to convince the then Prime Minister Modi to merge seven submerged mandals from Telangana into Andhra Pradesh. We did everything possible to ensure justice for you. After the coalition government came to power in 2024, we credited Rs829 crore directly into the accounts of displaced families,” he said. The Chief Minister observed that when he was in the opposition, Jagan promised Rs.10 lakh as compensation to each displaced family. Did he deliver? Not even a single rupee was given during the five years of YSRCP rule.

“Even during floods, they ignored your plight. Now, they will return to you, making promises again. We've seen how past rulers neglected the Polavaram project. Had our government continued after 2019, the project would have been completed by 2020,” the Chief Minister added.

Due to delays, costs have escalated significantly. The diaphragm wall, initially constructed for Rs 400 crore, was washed away due to YSRCP’s negligence. Now, we are rebuilding it for Rs.990 crores. Public money should be spent for the benefit of the people, not wasted. "I treated every Monday as Polavaram Day and personally visited the project 33 times. By 2027, we will complete the rehabilitation process. We will ensure no middlemen or fraudsters interfere. Some affected families have raised concerns about being excluded from the compensation list—we will investigate and take action. Every eligible person will receive compensation, and no one will be denied justice. The previous government diverted central funds allocated for Polavaram to other expenses. Had the project been completed on time, you would have already settled into a stable life. If the Polavaram hydel project had been completed, it would have generated Rs2,500 crore in revenue. Due to delays, additional financial burdens and increased costs have arisen," he pointed out.