Stating that the completion of the mega Polavaram project on the Godavari is his life's mission and ambition, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said he also wants to link the Godavari and Penna rivers.

He was taking part in a discussion on the Pattiseema lift irrigation project in the AP Assembly on Friday. The winter session, which began on Friday, was boycotted by the Opposition Y.S.R Congress MLAs.

The Chief Minister said the government had linked the Godavari and the Krishna by taking up the Pattiseema lift irrigation project on the Godavari, in spite of criticism from the Opposition parties and several others. The project was completed in record time and the crops in the Krishna delta could be saved and water could be supplied to Rayalaseema.

He said the Pattiseema lift irrigation project helped save paddy crops worth Rs 2,500 cr during 2015-16, Rs 5,500 cr in 2016-17 and Rs 6,000 cr during 2017-18, besides generating substantial revenue on aquaculture and other sectors.

He said Anantapur would be developed as a horticulture hub. Water would be supplied to East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts through the Polavaram left main canal.

The Chief Minister sought a discussion on the irrigation sector in every session of the Assembly. He said all members of the Assembly would be taken to the Polavaram project site on November 16 and 17 to create awareness among them on the importance of the project and to show the progress made on it.

The Chief Minister said the state had set a target to achieve 15 per cent sustainable growth and it would be possible only by providing water security to all regions of the state.

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