New Delhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday sought permanent withdrawal of the ‘stop work’ order issued in connection with the Polavaram project, urging the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to coordinate with Odisha and Chhattisgarh to expedite the pending public hearing process.
Naidu also suggested convening a meeting of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh under the chairmanship of the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to resolve the issue amicably in the larger interests of the three states, according to an official statement. The ‘stop work’ order was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in connection with the pending public hearings for the protective embankments to be constructed in Odisha and Chhattisgarh as part of the Polavaram project, according to the statement. The chief minister also urged Patil to ensure timely release of funds for the project, the statement said.
The chief minister stressed that the state government was according the highest priority to these works and requested the Union minister to ensure prompt release of funds in accordance with the progress of the works. Referring to the recently launched Jal Jeevan Mission-Amarajeevi Jaladhara works at Proddatur, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had around 95 lakh rural households, of which 62 lakh already had tap water connections. He said foundation stones had recently been laid for works to provide drinking water connections to another 27 lakh rural households.
He said the state government was giving equal priority to resolving the problems of displaced families and completing relief and rehabilitation works, alongside construction of the project, and urged the Union minister to ensure that there was no shortage of funds for Polavaram.
