India

Naidu Urges Permanent Withdrawal of Polavaram Stop‑Work Order and Calls for Three‑State Meeting

By PTI

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Thursday requested the permanent withdrawal of the ‘stop work’ order issued for the Polavaram project and urged the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti to coordinate with Odisha and Chhattisgarh to speed up the pending public hearing process. He also proposed convening a meeting of the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh under the chairmanship of the Ministry of Jal Shakti to resolve the issue amicably for the benefit of all three states, according to an official statement.

The ‘stop work’ order, currently in abeyance, was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change over pending public hearings concerning protective embankments to be built in Odisha and Chhattisgarh as part of the Polavaram scheme. Naidu said the matter could be settled through mutual cooperation and a spirit of give‑and‑take.

During his meeting with Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil, Naidu briefed the minister on the progress of the Polavaram project and the Jal Jeevan Mission‑Amarajeevi Jaladhara works recently launched at a cost of ₹30,000 crore. He urged Patil to ensure the timely release of funds for the project.

Naidu also informed the Union minister that rehabilitation and resettlement work required for impounding water up to the 41.15‑metre contour at Polavaram were being expedited. He emphasized that the state government was giving equal priority to resolving the problems of displaced families, completing relief and rehabilitation works, and advancing the construction of the project, and requested that there be no shortage of funds.

The two leaders discussed measures needed to impound water up to the 45.72‑metre contour and highlighted the diversion of thousands of TMCs of Godavari floodwater through the Pattiseema project. Naidu noted steps being taken to develop Polavaram as a major tourism and spiritual destination.

Referring to the Jal Jeevan Mission‑Amarajeevi Jaladhara works at Proddatur, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh has about 95 lakh rural households, of which 62 lakh already have tap water connections. Foundation stones were recently laid for works to provide drinking water connections to an additional 27 lakh rural households. He stressed that the state government was prioritizing these works and requested the Union minister to ensure prompt release of funds in line with progress.

Naidu also spoke about the benefits of interlinking rivers in southern states during the meeting.