Andhra CM Jagan meets Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat to seek funds to Polavaram project

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy on Wednesday met Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and urged him to provide adequate assistance to complete the Polavaram project

The CM has briefed that the revised cost of the Polavaram project will be Rs 55,656 crore and requested the Unuon Minister to release of reimbursement of land acquisition and rehabilitation cost, said sources from the CM office.

The CM explained that the number of families to be relocated, who has been increased significantly in 2017–18 compared to 2005–06 and the number of flooded houses that increased from 44,574 families to 1,06,006.

The CM also said that the Centre has not released Rs 1779 crore amount which was spent by the state government.

On Tuesday night the CM met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and requested the Centre to initiate the process of relocating state High Court from Amaravati to Kurnool, as part of the formation of three capital cities for the state for decentralisation of administration.

This was his second meeting in the last three months.

An official release from the chief minister’s office said Jagan had brought to the notice of the Union Minister that the state legislature had passed a legislation in August seeking to form three capitals for Andhra Pradesh – executive capital at Visakhapatnam, legislative capital at Amaravati and judicial capital at Kurnool.

“As part of this exercise, the Centre has to begin the process for relocation of the state high court to Kurnool. The chief minister requested that the Centre issues a notification to this effect,” the CMO release said.

The chief minister brought to the notice the devastation caused by Cyclone Nivar in several districts of the state in the last week of November and sought funds to take up relief measures.