Known for taking U-turns several times on several issues in the last five years, Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday took yet another U-turn.
All these years, Naidu had been telling the people that the Polavaram project would be completed by this year end and by June 2019, parts of the project ayacut would get water from the canals through gravity.
During the electioneering, too, the chief minister made tall claims about the project.
On Monday, however, Naidu took a U-turn on his promise. He categorically ruled out supplying water by gravity this year from the partially complete Polavaram project. He also revised the project completion deadline from December 2019 to June 2020.
"Unless there is a massive flood (in river Godavari) of 15-16 lakh cusecs, we cannot supply water by gravity. However, we will be able to store some 23 tmc ft of water at the project and utilise it downstream," the chief minister told reporters at the project site.
"Polavaram would be completed in one year from now. It will be done 100 per cent. There are no second thoughts," he said. The rider, however, is obvious. It is possible only if Naidu comes back to power for a second term.
For the past three years, Naidu has been saying Polavaram water would be supplied by gravity by June 2019.
He had promised this during the election campaign last month and reiterated that the project, barring the power station, would be completed by December this year.
"We have so far spent over Rs 16,000 crore on the project. Of this, the state government's share is over Rs 5,000 crore. Of the balance Rs 11,000 crore, the Centre still has to release Rs 4,600 crore to the state," he said.
Despite the severe financial constraints, the state government has been going ahead with the project and has so far completed over 70 per cent of the work, he said.
He said the two coffer dams would be completed this season while the project spillway and spill channel works would also be done to the maximum.
