Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday sought the intervention of National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) as the livelihood of around 5,000 tribals of Malkangiri district would be affected by the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh.

Naveen drew the commission's attention to the issue during a meeting with a delegation headed by NCST chairperson Nand Kumar Sai here.

The state government had raised its objection to the project saying vast areas of the state would be submerged by the project. A petition filed by the state government is pending in the Supreme Court.

After Friday's meeting, Sai told the reporters that the tribals affected by the Polavaram iproject should not be displaced without their proper rehabilitation. "Whether it is the case of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana or Odisha, there should be an alternative arrangement for their rehabilitation before the displacement of tribals," said the NCST chief.

"I had written a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him not to displace the poor tribals, who depend on their land. There should an alternative arrangement for their rehabilitation. I will take up the matter with the concerned authorities at the Centre," said Sai. "If required, the commission will send a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the project area."

Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram had told the Rajya Sabha recently that no tribal from Odisha would be displaced by the Polavaram project triggering protests from the state government.