The abnormal increase in the cost of Polavaram project, which the NDA government is refusing to accept now, is due to the improper calculations of the previous TDP government led by N Chandrababu Naidu.
This was stated not by the YSR Congress party but by the Congress party.
According to AICC secretary and former MLC Gidugu Rudra Raju, previous TDP government, for the sake of commissions, got the Centre hand over the project execution to state government.
“The previous Congress-led UPA government, on its part in the AP Reorganisation Act, declared Polavaram as national project making it the responsibility of the Centre to complete it. But, thanks to Chandrababu Naidu, the Centre gave up the responsibility and handed it over to the state. Now, it is not accepting the revised estimates of the project,” the Congress leader said.
He, however, also blamed it on the YSRC government for following the footsteps of TDP government in delaying the project due to its soft approach towards the Centre.
“Due to the delay, the project cost now escalated to Rs 50,000 crore but the Centre is insisting that it would pay only the estimated cost of the project in 2013-14 that will be only half of the present project cost,” he said.
Raju cautioned the state against budging to the Centre on the cost issue as it would be an unbearable burden to the people of the state.
He demanded the state govt to take an all-party delegation to Delhi to press the Centre bear the total cost, including the rehabilitation of displaced persons and also early release of funds for completing the project by June 2021.