It is a known fact that Telugu Desam Party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu doesn't lose any opportunity to gain political mileage by giving massive publicity for every single occasion, even it is a routine developmental work or a major project work.
Take for instance, the Polavaram project being constructed on Godavari river. Naidu might have laid foundation stones for various works at least half a dozen times and ensured that every event got the maximum publicity.
For the Polavaram gallery walk conducted a couple of months ago, Naidu brought journalists from Delhi and Hyderabad to get the massive coverage in the media.
This time, Naidu found yet another occasion to get the publicity in the media. It is the largest continuous cement concrete pour in 36 hours for the main dam.
Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd (NECL), which is executing major works of the Polavaram project, is eyeing a world record for this feat and has also invited observers from the Guinness Book of World Records.
According to the contractors, the largest continuous concrete pour in a single location was recorded in Dubai last year with a volume of 21,580 cubic metres in 35 hours 19 minutes. The NECL is aiming to pour more than that, up to 25,000 cubic metres, in 32 to 36 hours.
The event was scheduled to happen between December 17 and 18. Needless to say, Naidu was invited to witness this record feat on December 17, when the first radial gate was also expected to be installed.
An invitation was also sent to Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari to participate in the event.
For that, Naidu wanted huge publicity. So, the company authorities invited national media journalists from New Delhi as well as Hyderabad to witness the record feat.
Naidu was expected to address the national media at the venue. Flight tickets were booked for them and accommodation was arranged in a star hotel in Rajahmundry.
However, the event has been eventually postponed due to heavy rains and bad weather on account of Pethai Cyclone that is going to hit the coastal Andhra between December 17 and 18. In such a situation, there is no possibility of any concrete pour let alone creating a world record.
So, the company cancelled all the tickets and accommodation for journalists, much to the disappointment of Naidu!