Andhra CM urges Union Minister Patil to reimburse expenditure for Polavaram canal construction

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday urged Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil to reimburse the expenditure incurred in constructing the left and right canals of the Polavaram project.

The Chief Minister also requested the Union Minister to extend full support for the timely completion of the mega irrigation project.

"Requested reimbursement for the expenditure incurred on constructing Polavaram left and right canals and all necessary support to complete the project on a war footing," Naidu said in a post on 'X'.

Additionally, the CM sought Patil’s support for the Polavaram–Banakacherla link project, which aims to divert 200 TMC of floodwaters from the Godavari River at Polavaram to Banakacherla through a link canal.

According to Naidu, the Polavaram–Banakacherla project will make the state drought-proof by providing drinking water to 80 lakh people and irrigating 3 lakh hectares while supplementing 9.14 lakh hectares.

Furthermore, he noted that the project would also facilitate the supply of 20 TMC of water to industries.

In the Assembly last November, Naidu called the Polavaram project the state's lifeline and backbone, vowing to complete it by 2027 "at any cost" despite financial challenges.

Describing it as a "game changer," he said that successfully building the project and interlinking rivers would end famines.