Telangana Rashtra Samithi floor leader Etela Rajender on Friday demanded the cancellation of tenders for the Polavaram Project being built on the Godavari river, in West Godavari district.
Talking to media persons at Telangana Bhavan, Etela questioned the state government as to how it had initiated the process of tenders on the multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project without taking approval from the departments concerned. He said that the government has called for the tenders in violation of an order given by the Supreme Court.
He demanded that the tenders be cancelled in the wake of allegations pouring in from various parties.
Stating that the TRS has been opposed to the construction of the Polavaram project ever since its inception, he said that the construction would submerge vast tracts of fertile lands in Khammam apart from displacing thousands of people in the region.
The TRS leader said that he would write a letter to Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy in this connection on Saturday and appeal him to cancel the tenders.
Etela also demanded that the government disclose the antecedents of SEW Infrastructure, a company which received the tender of the Polavaram project costing Rs. 4,714 crores.
Challenging Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu to an open debate on the Polavaram issue, he asked the TDP to make its stand on Polavaram clear.
Meanwhile, Telangana Nagara Samithi president Nagam Janardhan Reddy lodged a complaint with Governor E S L Narasimhan against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy and other secretaries concerned, over the violation of rules and regulations in awarding contracts for Polavaram.
He appealed to the Governor to order a comprehensive probe into the awarding of tenders, and to take action against officials found guilty. (INN)