Andhra Pradesh government welcomes passage of Bill on Polavaram in Lok Sabha

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh government today welcomed the passing of AP Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2014 by Lok Sabha that will transfer seven mandals in Bhadrachalam revenue division of Telangana to AP.

"This will clear the way for construction of Polavaram multi-purpose project. We will complete it in the next three years," Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said.

The transfer (of mandals) happened due to the efforts of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, he said.

Yanamala pointed out that these mandals and villages were actually part of erstwhile Andhra state and merged with Khammam district only in 1959.

The minister assured that the state government would take full responsibility for rehabilitation and resettlement of people to be displaced by the project.

Referring to protests by TRS MPs to the Amendment Bill, he recalled that the state Reorganisation Bill itself was passed amidst such protests.

The controversial Bill which paves the way for the Polavaram project in AP by merging some villages and mandals of Telangana with Seemandhra was approved in the Lok Sabha today, amid stiff opposition from TRS, BJD and some other parties.