Andhra Pradesh's finances took a severe beating during the previous YSRCP regime, making it difficult for the state to fully fund Naidu's dream projects by itself.
Published Nov 16, 2024 | 4:40 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 16, 2024 | 4:40 PM
Andhra CM met with Union ministers S Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has sought hand-holding by the Union government to push forward two of his dream projects – interlinking of Godavari, Krishna and Penna rivers and reviving partnership with Singapore in developing Amravati as the futuristic capital of the state.
The CM conferred with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi on Friday, 15 November regarding it. He contended that the two projects would go a long way in shoring up Andhra Pradesh’s economy.
The interlinking of the three rivers – Godavari, Krishna and Penna – is an ambitious project which requires an investment of ₹60,000 crore. The state finds it difficult to fund the project entirely in the wake of its finances taking a severe beating under the previous YSRCP regime.
Briefing the media about Chandrababu Naidu’s meeting with the Union ministers, TDP leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said that Nirmala Sitharaman responded positively to the CM’s plea for funds to interlink rivers. The CM informed her that a detailed project report on the interlinking of rivers would be sent for the centre’s consideration.
Andhra Pradesh CM recently held a review meeting with Irrigation Department officials to explore possibilities of interlinking of the three rivers. Currently, under the Pattiseema Lift irrigation project, Godavari waters are being transferred to Krishna river.
Constructed at a cost of ₹1,660 crore when Naidu was the CM minister of Andhra between 2014-19, the irrigation project enables water being pumped from Godavari at Pattiseema in West Godavari district to be taken to Krishna by gravity through a canal.
For his dream project of interlinking three rivers, the CM is considering the possibility of augmenting the capacity of the existing Pattiseema canal, which is part of the larger Polavaram Right Main Canal to deliver larger volumes of water into Krishna. The canal now has a maximum capacity of handling 8,500 cusecs of water flow.
The idea is to take the water that is delivered into the Krishna river to Bollapally reservoir in Guntur district and from there to Penna.
In a review meeting to discuss interlinking rivers, officials apprised Naidu of the two ways in which the project can be taken forward. Water can either be taken from Bollapally to Banakacharla in Kurnool and from there to Penna or it can be directly taken from Bollapally to Somasila reservoir on the Penna river.
Also Read: Drought proofing Andhra: CM focused on interlinking rivers
Chandrababu Naidu started the ball rolling on the Amaravati project as soon as he took charge as CM in June, 2024. After a meeting with officials about getting Singapore interested in Amaravati once again, the CM sought Jaishankar’s intervention to ensure investment from Singapore in this regard.
After the YSRCP came to power in 2019, the Singapore government terminated the Amaravati “joint venture” project with Andhra Pradesh.
Making an official announcement on 12 November 2019 to this effect. the country had said that the decision to close Amaravati Capital City Start Up Area project was based on mutual consent between the the country and Andhra Pradesh government.
While Naidu was meeting with the Union ministers on 15 November, a six-member cabinet sub-committee headed by Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana met at the state secretariat.
There it was decided to hasten the process of getting the companies – for whom land was allotted during the previous TDP regime in 2014-19 – to return to the state.
Speaking to media persons about it, Narayana said that the sub-committee had asked Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) officials to revive talks with companies – about 130 of them – which were allotted land during the previous TDP regime.
Assessing the status of the companies to which land was allotted then, the sub-committee discussed about getting those companies to invest in Amaravati. They had withdrawn from Amaravati after previous CM and YSRCP chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to move Andhra’s capital to Visakhapatnam.
Though the Andhra Pradesh High Court had instructed Jagan Mohan Reddy to resume works and develop Amaravati as the capital, he had obtained a stay order from the Supreme Court.
The minister told media personnel that companies have started showing interest to invest in Amaravati after Chandrababu became the CM and that it was decided in the sub-committee meeting that the CRDA will speak to said companies in this regard.
The committee also decided to table the technical report, submitted by experts on tender cancellations under the previous government, in the next cabinet meeting set to take place on 18 November.
State Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, who is also a member of the cabinet sub-committee, said that the CRDA will remove irritants if any for the companies to get back to Amaravati and invest.
(Edited by Neena)
