Babu lays foundation for Patti Seema amid YSRCP protests

Pattiseema, March 29, 2015: Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu laid the foundation stone for the controversial Pattiseema lift irrigation project in West Godavari district on Sunday amid protests by YSRCP MLAs and workers at Dhavaleswam barrage. The Chief Minister is of the view that the project should be completed in the next one year to irrigate Ralaya Seema through diversion of 80 TMCs of Godavari flood water into Krishna. Several ministers including deputy chief minister Chinarajappa were present during the ceremony. YSRCP is opposing the project saying that Chandrababu Naidu has taken up this project to abondon Polavaram project. The party activists staged a demonstration at Dhawaleswaram project stoutly opposing the government's decision to go ahead with Pattiseema project. Meanwhile, there was some confusion in a press announcement issued by Chandrababu over the Pattiseema project that said that reservoir would be built to store 1500 cu-secs of water. The statement has even shocked irrigation experts as the mention of reservoir was not there in the original design. "The water storage is never discussed in terms of cu-secs. This means the government is in confusion over the project," said an irrigation specialist.