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The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government to revisit its statutory Rehabilitation and Resettlement clearance accorded to Andhra Pradesh’s flagship Polavaram Irrigation Project. A representation was submitted by the BJD to Union Tribal Affairs Minister Juan Oram on Thursday, August 21.
The BJD argued that the lives of thousands of people in Odisha’s Malkangiri district were at stake owing to the project. Malkangiri in Odisha shares a border with Andhra’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The Sabari river’s backwaters, which runs through both districts, has regularly caused transportation issues each time as heavy rains prompt the backwaters to flood the border areas.
The BJD’s representation came a day after a delegation of senior party leaders met with Union minister for Jal Shakti CR Patil and the Central Water Commission (CWC) Chairman Atul Jain. The delegation stated that the Jal Shakti Ministry and the CWC had failed to engage all stakeholders to review the technical, environmental and displacement concerns arising from the Polavaram project.
The BJD delegation had asked the CWC to conduct a fresh backwater study for the design flood plan and commence a consultation with all concerned states. The BJD stated that the design flood of the project has been revised to 50 lakh cusecs in 2006, compared to an initial design flood capacity of 36 lakh cusecs approved by the CWC in 1970, which could end up impacting submergence levels.
In the Union Budget 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced Rs 15,000 crore to be given to Andhra Pradesh over the next few years. “The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP is committed to financing and completing Polavaram—the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh and its farmers. This will facilitate our country’s food security as well,” she had said.
The Polavaram Irrigation Project is the brainchild of Andhra Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu, who has time and again put forth the case that once completed, the Polavaram irrigation project would be a lifeline for farmers in Andhra Pradesh. The TDP is the second most powerful party in the NDA following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where they secured 16 seats.