Naidu reducing Polavaram project to water-storage structure, alleges Sharmila
APCC president Y.S. Sharmila has accused Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of compromising the Polavaram irrigation project. She claims the government is reducing the reservoir level to avoid high rehabilitation costs, effectively downgrading the project's utility.
Why it matters
The Polavaram project is a critical infrastructure lifeline for Andhra Pradesh, and disputes over its design and funding have significant implications for regional water security and state finances.
Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Y. S. Sharmila on Tuesday (July 14, 2026) launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu over the Polavaram project, accusing him of deliberately weakening the State’s lifeline project to please the Central government.
Taking to social media platform ‘X’, Ms. Sharmila alleged that instead of ensuring the project’s completion at its originally approved Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 45.72 metres, Mr. Naidu was accepting completion only up to 41.15 metres, which she claimed would significantly reduce its intended benefits and effectively convert the multipurpose project into a mere water-storage structure.
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