Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, 14 March, urging him to shelve the India-based Nutrino Observatory (INO) project in Tamil Nadu's Theni.
Citing environmental concerns, Stalin said the proposed project may damage the local ecosystem and tiger population in the area.
The site earmarked for the project is in Pottipuram village in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, about 4.9 kilometers from Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor and falls within the Bodi Hills West Reserve Forest, the CM's letter read.
"This request was made in the larger interest of conservation of the rich wildlife and biodiversity of the region, as the project would cause irreversible damage to the fragile and sensitive eco system," the letter read.
The project site constitutes a significant water catchment area for the Sambal and Kotakudi rivers, Stalin stated. The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Tamil Nadu had pointed out the following concerns while processing the proposal for granting environmental clearances to the project:
The tunnel work involves the blasting of the hard rock with a huge quantity of powerful explosives. This will also break 6,00,000 cubic metres of Charnockite rock of the mountain.
The tunnel will be at the depth of over 1,000 meter from the top of the mountain. Due to the tremendous pressure, there is a huge risk of rock burst and roof collapse.
The CM directed that the proposals be scrutinised using geotechnical studies. Stalin stated that a ministerial delegation from the state had met Union Minister Piyush Goyal on 27 September 2021, conveying the above-mentioned concerns.
The Mathikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district of Kerala falls under the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), but not the Tamil Nadu side. This allows the INO to get clearance from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). However, Tamil Nadu's SEIAA has stated that 31.45 hectares of the site falls inside the Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor.
The Particle Physics Research 'Mega' Project
The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a proposed particle physics research mega project. The objective of the project is to study neutrinos in a 1,200-metre deep cave.
The INO is proposed to be operated by seven primary and 13 participatory research institutes, spearheaded by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Indian Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IIMSc). The Neutrino Collaboration Group which heads the project signed an MoU in 2002 and the project was conceived in 2005. The site in Tamil Nadu was identified by 2009 and Rs 1,500 crore was set aside in 2015 to fund it. The project has been been delayed by a long legal battle.
Even Though Experiments Are Underground, Construction Activities Will Affect Ecology: TN
On 17 June 2021, the chief minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and suggested the INO project be shelved or shifted elsewhere.
The Tamil Nadu government on 17 February 2022 filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court disallowing the construction of the proposed INO. The affidavit came in the wake of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) providing a no-objection certificate (NoC) to the project.
The TN government’s affidavit stated that even though experiments in the observatory would be conducted over a kilometer underground, construction activities like large-scale blasting, excavating, tunnelling, and transportation, would affect the tigers and the local ecology.
Scientists and Physicists Have Assured INO ‘Would Cause No Harm'
However, the Indian National Science Academy, Delhi, the National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad, and the Indian Academy of Sciences, Bengaluru, in a joint statement in 2021 did say that the INO experiment would cause no harm. "The neutrinos which are elementary particles have no charge and almost no mass and therefore do not affect anything they pass through. They are naturally produced in the atmosphere of the Earth and are present around us at all times causing no damage. The INO is one of a set of major experiments that can consolidate our position as a leading scientific nation,” their statement read.
These neutrino detectors are built underground and are isolated from any other sources of background radiation.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)