The Hindu Business Line : Polavaram project gets environmental clearance

IN what could be considered a major breakthrough for the prestigious `Jala Yagnam' programme taken up by the State Government for major irrigation projects in the three regions of the State, the Union Government on Tuesday sanctioned environment clearance to the Polavaram project being taken up at a total cost of Rs 13,500 crore.

The Centre's environment nod has cleared decks for restarting of the multipurpose irrigation project that was stayed by the Andhra Pradesh High Court recently on account of absence of environmental clearances.

The project aims to generate 960 MW of power and store 194 TMC feet of water to irrigate 2.91 lakh hectares and projected to be completed in five years.

Addressing newspersons here, the Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, thanked the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the United Progressive Alliance Chairperson, Ms Sonia Gandhi, for ensuring environmental clearances for the project.

The Chief Minister denied that the State would stand to lose as a result of the diversion of 80 TMC feet of Godavari water to the Krishna delta. Under the Bachawat award, the State would get 45 TMC feet and the upper riparian States share the remaining 35 TMC of Krishna waters. Dr Reddy said the State would in no way lose since the water is usually being let out by the upper riparian States only after their reservoirs get filled up.

According to the Chief Minister, the Polavaram project would help in easing the pressure on Krishna waters and also enable utilisation in Rayalaseema and Telangana regions, thereby benefiting all the three regions of the State.

The Chief Minister also said that almost all of the 1.95 lakh people to be displaced due to the Polavaram project would be provided equal amount of irrigated land. He termed this as the best package ever given by any State Government to compensate the displaced people while implementing irrigation projects.

"The Union Government has also acknowledged our relief and rehabilitation (R&R) package as the best," the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister denied any injustice to the Telangana region in the process of implementation of irrigation projects under the `Jala Yagnam' programme.

Of over Rs 10,000 crore to be spent on irrigation projects from April 2004 to March 2006, more than 50 per cent was earmarked for projects in the Telangana region, he said.

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