MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that the Neutrino Observatory Project planned for Theni be scrapped due to “environmental concerns.” Stalin, the leader of the DMK, has addressed a letter to the Prime Minister, requesting that he intervene and cancel the Neutrino Observatory Project, saying that it will harm the local ecosystem and tiger migration.

MK Stalin wrote in his letter that the planned project location at Pottipuram village in Tamil Nadu’s Theni district lies within the Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor, as designated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, and that if it is built, it will ‘disrupt’ the corridor’s genetic flow.

According to Stalin’s letter, the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority had pointed out the following in 2017:

• The tunnel construction will include blasting hard rock with powerful explosives as well as the removal of massive amounts of rock from the mountain.
• Because the tunnel would be almost 1000 meters below the top of the mountain, it will exert great pressure, posing a risk of rockburst and ceiling collapse.
• Because the project site is nearby to the Western Ghats, it will influence the area’s biodiversity.

In September 2021, a ministerial delegation from the state met with Union Minister Piyush Goyal, communicating the above-mentioned concerns and seeking the federal government to abandon the project, according to Stalin.

Stalin requested that the Prime Minister intervene and cancel the Neutrino Observatory project.

So what is the Neutrino Observatory Project and what does it do? (INO)

Neutrinos are tiny particles that belong to the lepton family. They come in three flavors, according to the TIFR website, one is connected with electrons and the others with their heavier cousins the muon and Tau. One of the project’s main partners is the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

According to the project’s official website, the National Neutrino Collaboration group is made up of more than 50 scientists from roughly 15 Indian institutes and universities (NNCG). Neutrinos may not be as massless as previously thought, according to scientists, and further research in this area could lead to big advancements in particle physics, astrology, and cosmology.

The observatory and laboratories will research atmospheric neutrinos created by cosmic ray interactions in the Earth’s atmosphere. The INO project is a collaborative effort involving multiple institutions. According to the site, the planned underground laboratory will be under a rock cover of around 1200 meters for Non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research.

The project is co-funded by India’s Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology.

Presented in 2005, but impacted by politics and delays.

The idea for the project was conceived around 2005. The site in Theni was discovered in 2009. The central government granted a sum of 1500 crores for the project in 2015. According to reports, however, the project was a non-starter. MDMK leader Vaiko had filed a case in Madras High Court in 2015 opposing the project. After taking office, Stalin met with Prime Minister Modi and demanded that the project be relocated.

A group of scientists, mathematicians, and Nobel laureates have urged the Tamil Nadu government not to stifle the project, claiming that it will put the state on the map for advanced scientific research.