Former minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar criticized the Kaleswaram project to cover up the Polavaram flood.
Hyderabad: Former minister Puvvada Ajay Kumar criticized the Kaleswaram project to cover up the Polavaram flood. Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said that Bhadrachalam town and 44 villages will be flooded if water is stored in the Kaleswaram project. He clarified that the flood threat to Bhadrachalam area is not due to Kaleshwaram, but due to the backwater effect of the Polavaram project being constructed in Andhra Pradesh below. Puvwada suggested that Minister Uttam should know that the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) have also officially recognized this matter.
Puvvada alleged that false propaganda is being spread about the Kaleswaram project to divert public attention from the Polavaram flood issue. He said that while the Godavari river bed level at Bhadrachalam is about 26 meters deep, due to the effect of Polavaram backwater, the water level is always stored there from 13.15 meters to 17.72 meters, which has become a major problem in Bhadrachalam area. It is stated that the government is spreading false propaganda about Kaleswaram without conducting a minimum review without taking measures to protect the people of Bhadrachalam region to prevent this Polavaram flood.
He said that an area of about 184 square kilometers in the area of 36 villages in the surrounding areas of Bhadrachalam is likely to be affected due to the effect of Polavaram backwater. He criticized that it is irresponsible to spread false propaganda about the Kaleswaram project while sidestepping such a very serious issue related to people’s lives. Ajay Kumar reminded that in the past, the BRS government had brought the issue of Polavaram backwater flooding to the attention of the central government several times and fought for the rights of the people of Bhadrachalam region.
