CPI cautions Andhra Pradesh govt. against taking unilateral decision on Banakacherla project
CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna says it is not correct on the part of the government to decide on the Godavari-Banakacherla project unilaterally.
Andhra Pradesh would face disastrous consequences like Telangana's Kaleshwaram project if it went ahead without a proper plan, and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu should immediately convene an all-party meeting regarding the pending irrigation projects and new proposals, Mr. Ramakrishna said while addressing the media in Vijayawada on Sunday.
Mr. Ramakrishna said the government was not focusing on completion of pending irrigation projects. Instead, it was rushing ahead with new proposals such as the ₹82,000 crore Godavari-Banakacharla project. He recalled how, under BRS chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao's rule, the Kaleshwaram project in Telangana was initiated with a ₹81,911 crore estimate. Already, ₹1.03 lakh crore had been spent on it and yet it remained incomplete, the CPI leader said.
'Engineers bypassed'
Mr. Naidu should consult all political parties before proceeding with such a massive project. Reports suggest that Mr. Naidu was bypassing irrigation engineers and directly negotiating with a big contractor, Mr. Ramakrishna said.
'The government is risking its credibility by unnecessarily burdening itself with the Banakacharla project and focusing entirely on contract-based politics. The government should involve farmers' associations, irrigation experts, and political parties before going ahead,' he said.
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