Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has written to PM Modi asking to drop the Neutrino Observatory Project planned at Theni, citing ‘environmental concerns’. DMK chief Stalin has written the letter asking the PM to intervene and drop the Neutrino Observatory Project claiming that it may damage the local ecosystem and tiger movement in the area.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin writes a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging an intervention in advising the concerned authorities to drop the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project in Theni, Tamil Nadu. pic.twitter.com/b8akRa9PFN
— ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2022
In his letter, MK Stalin has written that the proposed project site at Pottipuram village in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu falls within the Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor as mapped by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and if the project is carried out, it may ‘destroy’ the genetic flow of the corridor.
Stalin’s letter further stated that the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority had in 2017 pointed out the following:
- The tunnel works will involve the blasting of the hard rock with powerful explosives, and will also remove large quantities of rocks from the mountain.
- The tunnel will be at the depth of over 1000 m from the top of the mountain, so it may create tremendous pressure, risking rockburst and roof collapse.
- The project site is close to the Western Ghats, so it may impact the biodiversity of the area.
- The project site constitutes a significant water catchment area for the Sambal and Kotakudi rivers
Stalin stated that a ministerial delegation from the state had met Union Minister Piyush Goyal in this regard in September 2021, conveying the above-mentioned concerns and requesting the central government to drop the project.
Stalin asked the PM to intervene in the matter and drop the Neutrino Observatory project.
What is the Neutrino Observatory Project (INO)
Neutrinos are fundamental particles included in the lepton family. The TIFR website says they come in three flavours, one associated with electrons and the others with their heavier cousins the muon and the Tau. Tata Institute of Fundamental research is one of the lead partners in the project.
As per the official website of the project, more than 50 scientists from about 15 Institutes and Universities in India have come together to form the National Neutrino Collaboration group (NNCG). Scientists have theorised that neutrinos are not massless as they were thought to be, and research on this field may lead to major breakthroughs in particle physics, astrology and cosmology.
The observatory and its laboratories are planned to study the atmospheric neutrinos produced by interactions of cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere. The INO project is a multi-institutional effort. The planned underground laboratory will be under a rock cover of approx. 1200 m for Non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research, as per the site.
The project is jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology of the government of India.
Proposed in 2005, marred by delays and politics
The project was conceptualised back in 2005. The site at Theni district was identified back in 2009. In 2015, the central government had approved a 1500 crore fund for the project. But the project has been a non-starter, as per reports. In 2015, MDMK leader Vaiko had filed a petition in Madras HC against this project. Stalin, after coming to power, had met PM Modi and had requested to shift the project elsewhere.
A number of scientists, mathematicians and Nobel laureates have asked the TN government to not hinder the project, asserting that the project will place the state of Tamil Nadu on the global map for advanced scientific research.
