Polavaram Project to Be Completed by End of 2027 - Nimmala

Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said the coalition government aims to complete the Polavaram project by the end of 2027 to help make the state drought-free. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu met Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil on Thursday, with Ramanaidu accompanying him. Speaking to the media at AP Bhavan after the meeting, the minister said the Centre had appreciated the Chief Minister’s efforts to complete the project. He stated that 88% of the civil works and 64% of the land acquisition and rehabilitation works had been completed, taking the overall physical progress to 83%.

Ramanaidu said the second phase would require approximately ₹42,500 crore for land acquisition, rehabilitation and related works, and that the state had requested the Centre to release the funds. He explained that the first phase envisages water storage up to the 41.15-metre contour, while the second phase aims to complete the project up to the 45.72-metre contour. The state also sought changes to the proposed six-lane Amaravati–Kharagpur Economic Corridor to bring it closer to the Polavaram spillway, along with plans to develop the spillway as a heritage attraction. The minister added that the government had proposed developing around 9,900 acres near the project as an integrated tourism hub and improving the national waterway from Bhadrachalam through Rajamahendravaram to Kakinada.