Vijayawada: Polavaram Irrigation project is expected to get more funds from the centre during 2015-16 budgets. According to the senior Irrigation officials, who held a meeting with the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharathi recently on the subject, the State government could hope for more allocation. The officials said the Centre had appointed Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and it had submitted its requirement for Rs 3,000 crore for 2015-16.

However, the officials conveyed their impression after talking to the senior officials of the Water Resources Ministry that the Centre may not grant funds as projected by the PPA. Against this background, they suggested that the State government mount pressure on the Centre for an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,500 crore for the 2015-16.

This would help begin works on headworks of the project that could be carried out during the months of March to the end of May as it would not be possible to carry out the works during rainy season from June 1.  Following this, the State government has kept its options open till the last minute to include the higher allocations from the centre for the Polavaram project during the budget presentation on March 11.

Speaking to The Hans India, Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamasheswara Rao said the chief minister would meet the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the Finance Minister Arun Jaitely, to discuss on the issue of allocation of funds for the Polavaram project. He said the State was expecting greater allocation to the projects, he added. In case the centre fails to earmark more funds, then there is a possibility that the State government may make some allocations to the Polavaram Project.

It had already given an administrative sanction for Rs 1,300 crore to the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Projet to diver Godavari waters to Krishna delta. Also, this time bigger allocations for irrigation projects like Handri-Neeva, Galru-Nagari, Velugonda and Thotapalli irrigation projects are likely to be made.

Source: THI