The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday informed the Hyderabad High Court that it was trying to acquire 35,852 more acres of land for the construction of the Indira Sagar (Polavaram) Multipurpose Irrigation Project.

According to a report in Deccan Chronicle, the government has paid Rs 1,696.16 crore as compensation to about 34,000 land owners, and the project was in its final phase, it told the court.

The government has filed a status report in response to a petition by social activist P. Pulla Rao, of Polavaram village in West Godavari district. 

The petitioner has asked the High Court to direct the authorities to restart the process of land acquisition in accordance with the Right to Fair Compen-sation and transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

Every year about 3000 TMC of Godavari water flows away into the Bay of Bengal while there is hardly enough water in the Krishna. The state's idea is to divert the surplus Godavari water into the Krishna basin and eventually Rayalseema, which is a comparatively dry district

The government, in its report, said that as per the plan furnished by the irrigation department, a total of 1,16,348 acres were required for the project, including for main canals, supply channels and feeder channels. 

The government also added that it has already acquired 80,496 acres out of the total 1,16,348 acres required for the main canals and supply and feeder channels. Out of this, 75,766 acres were acquired under the old Land Acquisition Act.

Construction of rehabilitation and resettlement centres with proper amenities as defined under the Act 2013, was in progress, it added.