Hyderabad: Demanding an inquiry into the irregularities in the Polvaram contract issue, YSR Congress has said that Chandrababu Naidu has been treating the multipurpose project as a cash cow.
Speaking to reporters here on Tuesday, party spokesperson, K Parthasarathi said, "though the Centre has categorically ruled out the change of contractor as it would escalate the cost, Chandrababu Naidu has been persistent as he was treating the project as a cash cow and want to milk it in the form of kickbacks burdening the exchequer.
Union Minister Gadakari had said that there should be no scope for corruption in the Polavaram project which is an indication of the Centre’s view of the State’s execution, Chandrababu Naidu has been time and again urging to change the contractor.
"Close on the heels of the union minister’s remarks Chandrababu Naidu went to his home town by a special flight to mount pressure on him to accept the change of contractor. When the Centre has convened a meeting of officials concerned with the project, and decided against changing the contractor as the cost would escalate, he did not leave it there but is going ahead to change the contractor even if the state has to pay the difference of amount which works out to over Rs 2,000 crore," he said.
The original estimate of the project which was Rs 16, 000 crore has now reached Rs 50,000 and the way things are going it would go further up and there is no indication that the deadline would ever be met.
We demand that the State should tell in clear terms what is the cost of the Polavaram project, how much the Centre would be giving and how much should the state mobilise and how. Before that the State should also say why it has taken over the project from the Centre, he said and demanded an inquiry into the irregularities by a central agency.
