Avinash Reddy Flags Polavaram Funding, State Debt And Bifurcation Promises In Lok Sabha
KADAPA: YSRC MP YS Avinash Reddy, while participating in the debate on the Union Budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, expressed concerns about the Polavaram Project, Andhra Pradesh’s debt burden and unfulfilled bifurcation assurances.
He described the ₹ 3,320 crore allocation for the Polavaram Project as grossly inadequate and warned that reducing the project height to 41.5 meters would limit the storage capacity to 75 TMC compared to the original design of 45.7 meters with a storage capacity of 194 TMC. He said any dilution of the project would adversely affect farmers in Andhra Pradesh.
Avinash Reddy sought environmental clearance for the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and alleged that the state government failed to get the necessary approvals.
On the financial front, he said that during the YSRCP regime, the state’s debt stood at ₹ 3.32 lakh crore, while the current government borrowed ₹ 3.20 lakh crore in 20 months. He demanded compliance with the 3.5 percent GDP borrowing limit and expressed concerns about off-budget borrowings.
The MP also demanded 90 per cent Central grant as per bifurcation assurances, setting up of a steel plant in Kadapa, stopping privatization of Vizag Steel and full Central funding for the Kadapa-Bengaluru railway line.
