Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said he was determined to complete the Polavaram irrigation and Amaravati projects in time, besides speeding up the initiatives on the smart water and power grids.
The government’s endeavour was to conserve every drop of water through the smart water grids and supply power at cheap price to the people through the smart power grids, he added.
He was speaking to the media after presenting ‘silk vastrams’ to goddess Kanaka Durga at the temple atop Indrakeeladri here on the auspicious occasion of ‘Moola nakshatram’.
CM’s resolutions
Mr. Naidu said he made three resolutions in front of the goddess for the development of the State. They were, ‘swatchate seva’; fulfilment of two prestigious projects — State capital Amaravati and Polavaram; and commencing of the smart power and water grids.
The government was trying to complete the Polavaram project, the lifeline of Andhra Prdesh, at the earliest.
“But some evil forces are trying to create hurdles akin to the evil forces disturbing the rishis performing yagas for the well-being of mankind. Religious texts say that the goddess destroyed such evil forces. I prayed to the goddess to remove all hurdles in the construction of the Polavaram project and help the government in achieving its objectives,” Mr. Naidu said.
“The government could successfully interlink the Godavari and the Krishna. Now, the government plans to link the Godavari and the Penna. The Central government has also agreed to release the dues pertaining to the Polavaram project,” he said.
DPR submitted
The government submitted a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) that included the compensation paid under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, he said.
“The presiding deity has been decked as Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge,” Mr. Naidu said, adding, “I prayed to the goddess to bless Andhra Pradesh turn into a knowledge and education hub.”
“The State is already in the forefront in terms of campus placements,” he said.
To a query, Mr. Naidu defended the ₹300 ticket introduced by the temple management.
“Those who can afford will buy the ticket. The temples in the State are well managed compared to other States in the country. It is due to the system prevailing here,” he added.
Earlier, the Chief Minister carried the ‘silk vastrams’ on his head and went into the sanctum sanctorum to offer it to goddess Kanaka Durga, the presiding deity.
His wife Bhuvaneswari accompanied him.
Temple’s Executive Officer A. Surya Kumari and priests accorded a traditional welcome to the couple.
Ministers P. Manikyala Rao and D. Umamaheswara Rao, Vijayawada MP Kesineni Srinivas, MLC Buddha Venkanna, and Vijayawada (West) MLA Jaleel Khan were present.