Andhra Pradesh Major Irrigation Minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah met the Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today, to requesting the centre to grant national status for the Polavaram project immediately.
Bansal, accepting Ponnala's plea, has said that a finance committee will be organized after the parliamentary meetings that will look into the matter.
Meanwhile, PRP president Chiranjeevi
has already begun his 11-day bus yatra to raise awareness about the Polavaram project, and also to mount pressure on the centre to accord a national status to the project. Starting from Antarvedi in East Godavari district, he will traverse through major districts of coastal Andhra, ending at Polavaram.
In response to criticism from Congress leaders who alleged that he was eyeing the glory that once belonged to YSR, Chiranjeevi said that he respected the late CM's initiative, but keeping the interests of public in mind it was essential to pressurize the central government to help complete the Polavaram project as the state government cannot do so on its own.