Amaravati, March 18: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu handed over a check of ₹226.61 crore to families displaced by the Polavaram project on Wednesday. This amount is the third installment under the land acquisition and rehabilitation (R&R) scheme.
The Chief Minister met with the displaced families at his official residence and provided the funds on the eve of the Telugu New Year, Ugadi. He emphasized that the government respects those who have sacrificed their homes and land for the project, stating that their contributions are vital for its realization.
Naidu referred to the Polavaram project as the “lifeline” of the state, asserting that its completion and the implementation of the river linking project will benefit the entire region. He noted that previous governments had neglected the diaphragm wall, which is now being reconstructed at a cost of ₹1,000 crore, based on expert advice.
He claimed that the work on the diaphragm wall would be completed within a week and that the project is progressing rapidly. Over the past 21 months, the pace of work has increased, with a target to complete the project two months after the next Ugadi in 2024.
Despite being a central government initiative, Naidu stated that the state government is fully committed to its completion. He mentioned that the acceleration in compensation payments occurred only after the coalition government took office.
To date, the government has disbursed a total of ₹1,943 crore in three installments to 26,149 displaced families. This includes ₹800 crore during Sankranti in January 2025, ₹916 crore during Diwali, and the recent ₹226.6 crore for Ugadi.
The first phase of the project aims to rehabilitate 38,068 displaced individuals. Out of 75 planned rehabilitation colonies, 26 have been completed, while 49 are under construction. Colonies are also being developed for 17,114 displaced individuals identified in 2022, with a completion goal set for April 2027.
Each family is being provided ₹3.5 lakh for house construction and ₹2 lakh for land plots. The Chief Minister criticized previous governments for the project’s delays, which lasted 6-7 years due to negligence.
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