Andhra CM alleges conspiracy to stall Polavaram project

Amaravati : Targetting BJP once again, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday said that a conspiracy was being hatched to stall Polavaram project.

Speaking in the state legislature, he claimed that the BJP started making allegations by twisting facts on the national project immediately after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) pulled out of NDA government at the Centre.

Naidu also slammed opposition YSR Congress Party and Jana Sena for what he called creating hurdles for the project by making allegations of corruption in its works.

Asserting that Polavaram will free the state from droughts, he said this was his dream project and the people would not tolerate any attempt to stall it.

Polavaram is a national project mentioned in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and the Central government had agreed to completely bear expenses incurred after April 1, 2014.

Last year, the state revised the estimate of the project to Rs 58,319 crore.

Naidu told the state legislative council that the government had so far spent Rs 13,201 crore on the project.

He said he was closely monitoring the project as it will become lifeline of the state by irrigating two crore acres of land. He said the government maintaining transparency in Polavaram project works and all the information was available online.

The TDP chief said despite the financial constraints the state was going ahead with the project but the opposition parties were spreading falsehood to stall the works for their vested interests.

He said that had the Central government taken up the project, it would have lead to delay and hence the state government came forward to undertake the works.

Naidu said the BJP which was praising him for completing Pattiseema project to connect Godavari and Krishna rivers, suddenly started making allegations over Polavaram after TDP exited the alliance.