YSR Congress party president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy is understood to have decided to go ahead with the ongoing process of reverse tenders to complete the balance works of Polavaram lift irrigation project and also hydro power project.
Jagan, who held a review meeting with the irrigation department authorities on Thursday, reportedly instructed them to go ahead with the reverse tendering exercise initiated for Polavaram irrigation project.
The authorities brought to his notice the letter written by the Prime Minister's Office asking the state government to provide clarification on each and every point on the cancellation of the contract of the previous company and decision to go for reverse tendering. Thursday was the last date to give reply to the PMO’s letter.
However, Jagan told the officials that he would take it up with the Centre all the issues and asked them to go ahead with the ongoing process.
“We have to ensure transparency in irrigation works and reverse tendering should be employed and all running projects should be completed within four years,” he said.
The chief minister said despite financial constraints, work on all irrigation projects would be taken ahead and pointed out that reverse tendering will be employed.
He observed that though there were floods following heavy rains, water could not be properly utilized and most of it was left into the drain.
“More acumen should be shown in utilization of flood waters and minimize its flow into the sea,” he said.
Such situations could be averted if we plan that there would be flooding for 30 to 40 days instead of the present convention of 120 days annually.
It would be better if we plan for storing and diverting flood waters with the assumption that floods would be only for a month instead of four months, he told the officials.