Expert Appraisal Committee recommends INO project for environment clearance

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project, which has remained a non-starter for over a decade after suffering multiple delays, is finally set to take off as the Expert Appraisal Committee (Infra-2) of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has recommended the project for grant of environmental clearance with certain "specific conditions".

At its 28th meeting held in New Delhi on March 5, the EAC has directed the project proponent, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, to obtain consent to establish and operate from the state pollution control board besides availing necessary forest clearances and National Board for Wildlife before proceeding with the project.

The INO, which is proposed to be constructed in Bodi West Hills on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border in Theni district, is one of the largest basic sciences projects in the country that would primarily study atmospheric neutrinos produced by cosmic rays in a 1,200 meters deep cave under a mountain. Neutrinos are the fundamental particles that make up the universe and are key to understanding the evolution of the universe and energy production mechanisms in the sun and other stars.

The EAC's recommendation for the EC comes a year after the NGT's Southern Bench in March 2017 kept the EC for the project in abeyance and has asked the project proponent to file a fresh application as the site was situated within 4.9 km from Mathikettan Shola National Park in Kerala.

"Actually, we are back to the same stage where we were five years ago when we got our earlier EC (in 2011). Then we have to proceed to get the pollution control board clearance. Actually, we have to see what is the terms and conditions are," Prof D Indumathi, a physicist at Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc) and one of the spokespersons for the neutrino project.

G Sundarrajan of Chennai based NGO Poovulagin Nanbargal who successfully moved the NGT against the INO project said that his group had already issued a notice to the EAC warning that they would take legal action if they allowed the project to go ahead. "We have clearly told the EAC that the INO project should not be considered as a mere construction project because it involves blasting of lakhs of tonnes of rocks using a huge quantity of explosives that would cause a big impact on the environment. Hence it is wrong to seek the EC under the construction category," he said, noting that the presence of the Defence Research and Development Organisation's officials in the EAC meeting exposes the project proponent's false claim that it was basic science research programme.

The activist said that a fresh environment impact assessment and a public hearing was not held as the MoEF pitched the project as a special case considering its "national importance". "We have no other option but take up the issue in the court and with the people," he said.

Stating that they had applied for the fresh EC as per the NGT's order, Prof Indumathi said that the project did not pose any danger to the environment. "We already denied the charge (of environmental damage) in the court. We will deny it again," she said.

When the proposal was taken up by the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) of Tamil Nadu on November 27 last year, it noted that this proposal cannot be appraised by the State since it involved many technical features such as tunnelling and excavation of six lakh cubic metres of Charnockite rock from the mountain other than a mere construction. "This project should be appropriately handled by the Government of India," SECA concluded.

The SEAC noted that the Western Ghats is a global biodiversity hotspot and a treasure trove of biological diversity. It said that the proposed site forms part of the catchment of various streams and streamlet's and ultimately contribute to the Vaigai watershed which forms life support and livelihood of the dependent communities by providing water for drinking and agricultural need in five districts of Tamil Nadu.