Polavaram: concrete result achieved, says government

Concrete work at the Polavaram Project has gathered pace with more than one lakh cubic metres being achieved in a month, according to a press release from the government.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu congratulated the contractors and the officials at the 58th virtual review of the Polavaram Project at the Secretariat here on Monday. The Chief Minister had a video conference with engineers at the dam site and virtually inspected the work in progress through drones. The officers said 1,15,658 cubic metres of concrete work was completed on the spillway and work the spill channel crossed the one-lakh CuM mark for the first time. The agencies managed to do only 91,761 CuM in March. The officials said that 35.1% of the concrete work for the spillway and stilling basin, very key components of the dam, had been completed, as per the statement.

Work on the diaphragm wall that would act as a foundation for the Earth-cum-rock-filled (ECRF) Dam was 85.10% complete and 64.90 % of jet grouting needed to provided a base for the cofferdam had also been completed, the officials stated.

Donation for capital

Mr. Naidu said that all steps needed to complete the concrete works, including the diaphragm wall before the rains begin in June, should be taken. The contractor working on the radial gates of the project, Bekem Infra Projects Private Limited, donated ₹1 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for development of the new capital. The company made the donation to mark completion of 25 years and 100 projects, the release stated.