Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to chair a high-level meeting on May 28 to discuss the long-pending Polavaram project.
The meeting will bring together the Chief Ministers of four states—Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh—amid rising inter-state tensions over land submergence and displacement issues associated with the project.
This will be PM Modi’s first meeting specifically focused on the Polavaram project, which has been declared a national project. However, the neighbouring states including Odisha have raised strong objections, citing the risk of submergence of villages and displacement of tribal populations in their respective territories.
Despite several rounds of discussions at senior bureaucratic levels, a consensus has remained elusive. Multiple petitions filed by Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana are currently pending before the Supreme Court.
Although Andhra Pradesh had proposed constructing a protective embankment near the potentially affected villages, Odisha and Chhattisgarh remain firm on their demands for proper land acquisition and rehabilitation processes.
Polavaram was accorded national project status as part of the assurances made during the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. With the NDA government now back in power in the state, the pace of work has picked up, compelling the central government to seek swift resolution of inter-state disputes to complete the project within the stipulated timeframe.
For the first time, the Prime Minister will directly interact with all four Chief Ministers to push for a unified and amicable solution. According to sources, the Chief Secretaries of the respective states have already been briefed via video conferencing about the upcoming meeting.
In addition to the Chief Ministers, their irrigation ministers and senior officials, top representatives from the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, the Central Water Commission, and the Polavaram Project Authority will also be present.
Officials in the Water Resources Department are hopeful that the Prime Minister’s direct involvement will help break the current deadlock and expedite ongoing project work that has faced repeated interruptions.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.