Ambati slams CM Naidu for Polavaram Project delays

Amaravati: Mentioning the newly released report on the Polavaram project, Former Minister Ambati  Rambabu slammed Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for delay in Polavaram project and  challenged him to a debate in this regard. 

Speaking to media at the party central office here on Saturday, the Former Minister emphasised that the delays and increased costs were caused by mistakes made during Naidu's tenure and called for the swift completion of the project to benefit the people.

Ambati Rambabu criticised Chandrababu Naidu, stating that although the project was to be completed by the Central government, Naidu took over and handled it poorly. He stated that Naidu's tenure saw strategic mistakes and hurried actions, which led to the collapse of the diaphragm wall and that was the primary reason for the delay in the project, and that his government had consistently tried to clarify it. 

Ambati Rambabu pointed out that Chandrababu and his followers blamed the then  Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for the collapse of the diaphragm wall, but he denied this, stating it was actually due to Naidu's lack of understanding and strategic mistakes, which caused delays and higher costs.

He also spoke about the damage to the diaphragm wall, explaining that discussions had been held about whether to repair or rebuild it. He said that during their government’s tenure, a conclusion was reached with the help of international experts, and it was determined that the diaphragm wall had been damaged over a length of 485 metres. He emphasised that this assessment had been made during their government’s time, and the final report was submitted to the Central Water Commission on August 12th.

The former minister shared that the report was clear and outlined the events that occurred during different periods. He reiterated that the diaphragm wall should have been constructed only after diverting the river, a point now confirmed by the expert committee. He stated that CM Naidu made a strategic mistake by starting the spillway and diaphragm wall construction simultaneously in 2016. According to the expert committee, this should not have been done, he noted. 

Ambati further mentioned that the expert committee had confirmed that the foundation of the upper cofferdam had sustained damage during the 2018 floods. He added that Chandrababu Naidu, who was the Chief Minister at the time, had not repaired the diaphragm wall before proceeding with the construction. This oversight had led to severe seepage, he mentioned.