No Time Frame For Polavaram, Ambati Cries On Naidu

Minister for irrigation Ambati Rambabu is known for being upfront and does not mince words even when it leads to inconvenient situations in the public.

In one such move, Rambabu deliberately showed discrimination against the reporters of ‘yellow media’ while addressing a conference.

He said that the government cannot finalise a specific date regarding completion of the Polavaram project, the lifeline of Andhra Pradesh. It all depends on the construction of the diaphragm wall and in the usual manner, threw the complete blame on former CM and TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu for the whole mess. The minister said that Naidu’s half-baked knowledge and historical mistakes led to trouble in completion of Polavaram. Naidu did not have any action plan regarding the project and nowhere in the world had the diaphragm wall been damaged so badly, he said.

When one of the reporters belonging to ‘yellow media’ said that he was ready for a debate on a news report published in their newspaper as the YCP had criticized it, Ambati said he was not ready for it. In fact, he said that he would not answer the queries of the Eenadu reporter.

He said that the diaphragm wall was completely damaged and that there were huge craters at the place where the main dam was supposed to be constructed. If water has to be lifted from those deep holes, around Rs 2,100 crore should be spent and another Rs 800 crore for dredging, he said.

Experts are trying to find out if would be sufficient to do repair works to the existing wall or if it needed to be demolished and a new one should be built.

He criticized the ‘yellow media’ for trying to put the blame on Jagan for the trouble arising in construction of the project. The media working in favour of Naidu wrote that delay in construction works of the project led to cracks in the diaphragm wall. Had the spillway been constructed first and River Godavari been diverted, and then the coffer dam constructed before the diaphragm wall, this problem would not have arisen. Gaps have been left in the coffer dam as rehabilitation works were incomplete, he pointed out.

After the YCP came to power, we completed rehabilitation and then took up construction of coffer dam and then the spillway. Is it not a mistake to build the diaphragm wall even when the coffer dam was left with gaps, he asked.

When the reporters tried to reason that all the constructions were taken up with the consent of the water commission, dam design review committee and the central water commission but not Naidu alone, Ambati said it could have been done so.

On being pressed for a proper answer, the minister said his reply would be based on the media organization to which the correspondent belongs. For Eenadu, my reply will be something different from what it is to Andhra Jyothi, he said.

He even said that they can put headings that Ambati had criticized the DDRC and water commission over Polavaram design as it is a fact that the construction was taken up without complete knowledge.

When the correspondents tried to go by logic and questioned him appropriately, he tried to evade them saying he would not cater them any time and said that it was the end of the question and answer session.

Such discussions and answers being given to the media would raise several doubts if the press can still be considered the fourth pillar in a democracy and if the media would be honoured in the future for speaking on behalf and for the good of the people?