Jagan alleges Naidu claiming credit for Polavaram work done under YSR
Jagan Reddy accuses Chandrababu Naidu of claiming credit for Polavaram Left Main Canal works, 79% of which he says were completed during YSR's tenure.
YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday alleged that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was falsely claiming credit for the Polavaram Left Main Canal. In a post on X, Mr. Reddy said the water released into the canal was Godavari water lifted from the existing Purushothapatnam project, not water flowing by gravity from the Polavaram reservoir.
Mr. Reddy noted that the Purushothapatnam canal was constructed during the tenure of his father, former Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. He accused Mr. Naidu of claiming credit for projects he neither started nor completed, calling it a habit of desperation.
He stated that about 79% of the major works on the Left Main Canal were completed during YSR's tenure, but Mr. Naidu had presented them as his own achievements. Mr. Reddy also alleged that corruption during the 2014-19 TDP term had become a curse for Andhra Pradesh.
The YSRCP chief said the TDP government left the Polavaram project in disarray by only partially completing spillway and cofferdam works. He claimed the diaphragm wall was constructed without diverting the river flow, leading to delays and damage to the main dam's foundations when water entered through gaps in the partially built upstream cofferdam.
Mr. Reddy said his government resolved these issues by completing the approach channel, spill channel, spillway, and cofferdams before taking up the complex main dam works systematically.
He also sought clarification on the dam height, noting that while the full reservoir level is 45.72 metres, storage is being restricted to 41.15 metres. He questioned how the project could be completed if the Centre funds only up to the lower level.
Additionally, Mr. Reddy asked about the status of the Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi (USS) scheme, which received administrative sanction for ₹7,215 crore in 2009 under YSR. The costs were revised to ₹17,050 crore in 2022, but he alleged the scheme faced utter neglect during the TDP term.