36 villages to be included in Polavaram submerged list
KVP Ramachandra Rao (File Photo)
The State government has issued orders to the district Collectors concerned to prepare a list to sanction compensation amount to the displaced persons. These villages include 10 from Velerupadu mandal and nine from Kukkunur mandal in Eluru district; five villages from Chintur, five from VR Puram mandal and seven villages from Kunavaram mandal in ASR district.
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Commissioner Ch Sridhar stated that irrespective of the contour levels, the villages were included in the submerged villages' list as floodwater entered into these villages and caused huge loss to the property in Perantallapalli, Turpumetta, Tekuru, Kakinuru, Kacharam, Yerrametta, Yedavall and Tekumalli villages from Velerupadu mandal; Cheervalli Madhavaram, Kowdinyamukthi, Bestagudem, Ambotugudem, Cheruvukommagudem, Ravigudem, Yellappagudem, Yerraboru, Gudamboru and Mutyalapadu villages from Kukkunuru mandal.
On March 13, 2023, former MP and senior Congress leader KVP Ramachandra Rao wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the plight of Polavaram National Irrigation Project. Ramachandra Rao stated that due to the negligence of the Centre in allocating sufficient funds, there is inordinate delay in completion of the project, which can bring more than 300 TMCs of water into utilisation that has been going waste into the sea.
Rao said the State government is not in a position to provide funds for land acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement works costing Rs 30,000 crore. Under section 90 of AP Reorganization Act, the Union government should provide entire funds for the construction of the project compelling the State to restrict the level to 140 feet to avoid R & R expenditure, he pointed out. He requested the Ministry of Jalshakti and Polavaram Project Authorities to take up and complete the Polavaram National Irrigation Project expeditiously.