Bhubaneswar, November 21: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to stop the construction of Polavaram irrigation project by Andhra Pradesh government until all the pending issues are solved. Odisha CM also demanded centre to cancel the order of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry that allowed the construction of Polavaram dam.

In the letter, Patnaik stated, "If the project is allowed to be completed before the resolution of all the pending issues, it will cause permanent injury to the interest of the State of Odisha and its people." Odisha Passes Resolution Giving 33 Per Cent Reservation to Women in Assembly.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik writes to PM Modi requesting to stop the construction of Polavaram Dam by Andhra Pradesh Govt.The letter reads,"If the project is allowed to be completed before resolution of all the pending issues,it will cause permanent injury to the interest of Odisha" pic.twitter.com/2Au0PQMSfq

— ANI (@ANI) November 21, 2018

Patnaik said the Polavaram irrigation project can be reformulated as per the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) award without causing large-scale submergence in Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Telangana. Naveen Patnaik Announces Free Smartphones For Self-Help Groups in Odisha, Move to Benefit 70 Lakh Women.

He further said that the changes in the design parameters of the project should be taken care of based on the result of a public hearing in Odisha.

“Public hearing in the State of Odisha has not been carried out till date. The area where a public hearing has to be carried out depends on the exact extent of submergence in different areas lying in the Malkangiri. A detailed study is needed to assess the exact submergence in Odisha. Based on these studies only, the extent of submergence of forests, fertile lands and number of villages to be submerged, can be assessed,” the letter read.

The CM also stated that if the project is completed without solving the pending issues, it will lead to a engulf of a large amount of fertile land and forest areas. He further added that submergence of tribal villages resulting into a mass displacement, flooding of agricultural land and forests can be avoided if an opportunity is given for the resolution of all the disputes pending before the Supreme Court.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 21, 2018 11:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).