"Despite Criticism, Andhra Govt Moves Forward with Banakacharla Project Plans"
Despite numerous criticisms, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu does not seem to be backing down on the Banakacharla project. Although experts in the field have stated that completing the pending projects at various stages in the state would bring more benefits than spending a massive ₹80,000 crore on this project, the Chandrababu government is pushing forward with efforts to launch the ₹80,000 crore Banakacharla project or another new project estimated to cost ₹70,000 crore. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department issued a tender notification for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Polavaram-Banakacharla Link Project (PBLP). According to the guidelines of the Central Water Commission, the DPR needs to be prepared, and the required research must be conducted to obtain all the necessary legal approvals from the Government of India for implementing this project.
The notification mentions that this work must be completed at a cost of ₹9.20 crore. This notification clearly indicates that the Andhra Pradesh government is not backing down on the Banakacharla project. There have long been accusations that this entire initiative is being designed for a particular contractor. Allegations suggest that the project was brought to the forefront to hand it over to a contractor, enabling them to gain significant benefits.
This project issue was a major point of contention between the leaders of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh just a few days ago. However, the issue suddenly died down. Now, with the notification for the preparation of the DPR, the Banakacharla project has once again become a topic of discussion. In reality, those behind the scenes of this project have already prepared the DPR, and the notification for the DPR is just a show to make it appear as though the project is following a formal procedure, according to a senior official from the Department of Irrigation. A few days ago, there were reports that the Andhra Pradesh government was considering the Polavaram-Somashila Integration project at Banakacharla with a budget of ₹58,000 crore. This new proposal was mentioned as part of that. However, the latest notification makes it clear that the Chandrababu government has decided to go ahead with the original Banakacharla project as planned.
