Centre asks AP to relocate Polavaram office from Hyderabad to R’varam
The decision is expected to give a shot in the arm to the decision of the state government to complete the first phase of the project by Godavari Pushkaralu in July, 2027
image for illustrative purpose
Rajamahendravaram: The acceleration of work on the ambitious Polavaram project is expected to gain steam with the Union Ministry of Jala Shakti asking the Andhra Pradesh Government to relocate the head office of Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) from Hyderabad to Rajamahendravaram.
The decision is expected to give a shot in the arm to the decision of the State Government to complete the first phase of the project by Godavari Pushkaralu in July, 2027. A senior official of PPA told Bizz Buzz that the shifting of the office to Rajamahendravaram, which is close to the project site, will give a fillip to various construction works.
The project is designed to generate 960 MW hydro power besides providing irrigation to 7.20 lakh acres. It will also provide drinking water to several areas across the State. The spillway is designed to become the largest in the world with a maximum flood discharge of 50 lakh cusecs with 48 radial gates across 1,128 meter length to regulate water flow. It will be larger than Three Gorges Dam of China creating a new record once it is completed. At present, work is in progress on constructing a new diaphragm wall stretching 1396 meters and diving close to 95 meters deep. This will be the backbone of the project, considered the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh.
A strong advocate of .Polavaram project, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said umpteen number of times that the project will benefit both the Telugu States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as 80 TMC surplus water will be diverted to the Krishna Basin.
The rock-fill dam construction is now going on at brisk pace. The State Government says the project once completed will put a fullstop to water shortages in the Krishna Basin, irrigate upland areas in Andhra Pradesh and supply water to Visakhapatnam.
Mired in controversies due to inter-State dispute over apprehensions over submergence of low-lying areas in the tail end areas of Odisha, Chattisgarh and Telangana, the Polavaram multipurpose irrigation project has been given a national project status by the Modi-led NDA Government post-bifurcation in 2014.
The inordinate delay in taking up the project has led to escalation of the cost to a whopping Rs50,000 crore to Rs60,000 crore. While the Government of India has earmarked Rs3,320 crore for the project, in the budget outlay for 2026-27, the State has made an allocation of Rs6,105 crore.
Environmental concerns, inter-State water sharing and fears over displacement of tribal families have delayed the project for a long time though the foundation stone for it was laid several times. Odisha has complained that it will lead to submergence of 162 villages near Malkangiri. Though the project was conceived in 1941, even before Independence recognising its huge potential for irrigation and drinking water, the stone for the project was first laid in 1980. It was given a fresh lease of life in 2004 and given a national project status by the Centre in the AP Reorganisation Act.
