Amaravati, Aug 28 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday welcomed the Centre's in-principle nod to release Rs. 12,157 crore for the Polavaram irrigation project and approval for the development of two industrial hubs under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme, saying these steps would help his government bring the state back on development track.

He termed the Centre’s nod to release funds for Polavaram as a major step towards completing the project and exuded confidence that the first phase of the project will be completed by March 2027.

Addressing a news conference, he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Jal Shakti Minister C.R. Patil for much-needed support to the Polavaram project.

Naidu, whose Telugu Desam Party (TDP) is a key partner in BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, hailed the announcement to sanction Rs 12,157 crore in two tranches. While Rs 6,000 crore will be released in 2024-25, the remaining will be made available in 2025-26.

"This would help the NDA government in the state to fast-track the project," he said.

Slamming the previous government of YSR Congress Party, he said because of its inefficiency and wrong policies, the project could not make any progress.

The Chief Minister said Polavaram should have been completed in 2021, but the YSRCP government changed the contractor midway and brought in the reverse tendering for its own interests.

Naidu alleged that Jagan Mohan Reddy, immediately after becoming Chief Minister in 2019 stopped the work on Polavaram. He said even Jagan Mohan Reddy’s father Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy failed to take the project forward except for some canal works that were done during his tenure.

The Chief Minister blamed the faulty construction of the project for heavy floods in the Godavari River in 2020 and damage to the diaphragm wall. Asserting that the damaged diaphragm wall can’t even be repaired, Naidu said his government would construct a new diaphragm wall at an estimated cost of Rs 993 crore.

Naidu said that his government aims to complete the first phase of Polavaram by March 2027 with a height of 41.15 metres.

He also thanked the Centre for approving the development of the Kopparthy (Kadapa district) and Orvakal (Kurnool district) industrial hubs under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme.

He said another hub was already approved at Krishnapatnam. "One more hub is coming up at Nakkapalli. These hubs will give a fillip to industrial growth at a time when the state government is looking for financial support to create infrastructure to attract investments," he said. He said out of 12 industrial corridors in the country, three are in Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that the Krishnapatnam node in the Chennai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor the proposed bulk drug park at Nakkapalli in Anakapalli district, will give the push to industrial development.