Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday urged the Prime Minister to immediately direct the authorities to stop construction of the Polavaram project until all issues in this regard were settled in the Supreme Court.

Naveen sharply reacted to the way the Centre had allowed the authorities to go ahead with the construction. He said that the "stop work order" was being kept in abeyance on yearly basis, allowing the construction of the Polavaram project.

Naveen said: "There will be submergence of tribal lands, flooding of fertile agricultural lands and mass displacement of village. The issues can be avoided if only an opportunity is given for a final resolution of the disputes pending before the Supreme Court."