Polavaram Politics: YS Jagan Questions Govt Claims Over Purushothapatnam Water

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has questioned the coalition government’s claims over the latest developments linked to the Polavaram project, alleging that water being pumped through the existing Purushothapatnam scheme is being presented as water delivered from the Polavaram reservoir.

In a post on X, Jagan alleged that the government was lifting Godavari water through the Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme and releasing it into the existing Polavaram Left Main Canal. He questioned why the exercise was being projected as a fresh Polavaram achievement when both the pumping system and canal had been developed earlier. According to Jagan, the water being lifted from Purushothapatnam is not water reaching the canal through gravity from the Polavaram reservoir.

Jagan said the government had announced that around 3,500 cusecs of water would be released through the Purushothapatnam pumps, but stressed that neither the project nor its pumps were new. He further claimed that 79 per cent of the major works on the Polavaram Left Main Canal were completed during the tenure of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy. He accused the coalition government of attempting to take credit for works executed by previous administrations.

The YSRCP chief also criticised the government’s publicity campaigns around irrigation projects, referring to the recent Veligonda project programme and the latest Polavaram Left Canal event. He alleged that the government was creating a misleading impression about its contribution to projects that it had not initiated or completed.

Jagan blamed decisions taken by the Chandrababu Naidu government between 2014 and 2019 for setbacks to Polavaram. He alleged that the diaphragm wall was taken up without completing the spillway and cofferdam works or fully diverting the river, resulting in damage to the diaphragm wall area during subsequent floods. He said his government later completed the approach channel, spill channel, spillway and cofferdam works before systematically advancing the complex main-dam components.

He also questioned why Polavaram’s water storage was being limited to 41.15 metres when its full reservoir level is 45.72 metres. Jagan asked how the project could achieve its intended capacity if the Centre was funding it only up to 41.15 metres and sought clarity on compensation for displaced families. He said completing Polavaram to 45.72 metres would enable gravity-based water supply to both canals and reduce dependence on Purushothapatnam and Pushkara lift schemes.

Jagan further questioned the government’s approach to Uttarandhra Sujala Sravanthi. He said the project received administrative approval of ₹7,214.10 crore in 2009 during YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s tenure, while the YSRCP government revised the estimate to ₹17,050.20 crore in 2022, considering rising prices, land acquisition and construction costs. He said Package-1 and Package-2 works had reached the tender and agreement stages and dedicated land acquisition units had been established. Jagan urged the government to focus on completing irrigation projects rather than using them primarily for publicity.