Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik writes letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asks Centre to cancel Polavaram project

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and requested him to stop the construction of Polavaram Dam by Andhra Pradesh's government. 

Patnaik demanded that the Centre cancel the order of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change that allowed construction of the Polavaram project.

The letter states, "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 Odisha and its people."

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

The July 10 order of the MoEF & CC has kept the stop work order of Polavaram project in abeyance till 2019.

"It is my earnest request to give directions to cancel the order given by MoEF & CC for Polavaram Project on 10.07.2018 and to stop the construction of the project until all the pending issues are resolved," Patnaik said in a letter.

The chief minister said the Polavaram project can be "reformulated" as per the Godavari Water Dispute Tribunal (GWDT) award without causing large-scale submergence in Odisha, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Noting that the MoEF and CC has kept the "stop work order" on abeyance from time to time without informing Odisha, Patnaik said he had in his previous letters mentioned that if the project is completed before the resolution of all the pending issues, it will lead to a situation which will submerge a large amount of forest area and fertile land.

It will also lead to submergence of a number of villages resulting in displacement of tribal population in Malkangiri district of Odisha, he said.

"It is not understood how the impounding of the reservoir will not take place once the project is completed. Further, it is to mention that it will not be possible to change the design and operating parameters of the Polavaram Project after completion of the project," Patnaik said.

The chief minister said submergence of tribal villages resulting in mass displacement, flooding of fertile agricultural land and submergence of large forest area can be avoided if an opportunity is given for a final resolution of the disputes pending before the Supreme Court. 

(With PTI Inputs)