Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said that the damage inflicted on the Polavaram project during the past five years of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s rule was worse than that during the bifurcation of unified Andhra Pradesh. He made these remarks while releasing the first White Paper on Polavaram in the presence of Irrigation Minister Nimmala Rama Naidu, out of the seven he intends to present before the people.

Naidu slammed Reddy, alleging that the decision for reverse tendering was driven by his ego and ignorance. The Chief Minister stated that Reddy lacked even a basic understanding of the project, claiming that the work at the Polavaram site was halted on the very day YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took the oath of office. This, he claimed, triggered the subsequent drama of reverse tendering. Naidu also accused Reddy of damaging the diaphragm wall of the Polavaram project due to his mistakes. Changing the contractor midway and transferring competent officers also led to the severe delay in the project.

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Under the previous TDP government, Rs 11,762 crore was spent on Polavaram, whereas under the YSRCP government, only 4,167 crore was spent. Naidu claimed that during his previous tenure, nearly 72 per cent of the work was completed, whereas, under YSRCP, only 3.84 per cent work was taken up. He also accused YS Jagan of mis-utilising Rs 3,385 crore of funds allocated to the project, alleging that these funds were apparently diverted for other purposes.

Naidu visited the Polavaram project within days of taking charge, underlining its significance to the state. The project on the Godavari river is considered as the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh, particularly after the bifurcation. The Chief Minister promised to undo the damage with the help of national and international experts, as well as the support of the central government. The government will soon take a call on whether to repair the damaged diaphragm wall or to build a similar one, parallel to the existing one. The diaphragm wall, crucial for ensuring stability to the riverbed to withstand the water pressure across the dam, was damaged during the 2020 floods. A portion of the wall was washed away due to the devastating floods. The wall was constructed even before work on two cofferdams was undertaken.