Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy met Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi on Wednesday and sought approval for the revised cost of the Polavaram project, which is pegged at approximately ₹55,655 crore.
Mr. Jagan informed Mr. Shekhawat that the project cost had ballooned from the previously estimated figure due to a substantial increase in the number of families facing displacement (to over 1.06 lakh) and habitations that would be submerged.
The Union government would be helping the State in completing the national project at the earliest by giving expeditious financial clearance, Mr. Jagan told Mr. Shekhawat.
The Chief Minister said the Centre was due to reimburse about ₹1,780 crore spent by the State on the project, including bills that were pending since 2018.
Mr. Jagan observed that the costs would escalate further if the Union Ministry dragged its feet on the Revised Cost Estimate (RCE) and the State would be the sufferer.
Later, Mr. Jagan called on Sriram Vedire, adviser of the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and deliberated on the inter-linking of Godavari and Cauvery rivers.
