Green nod for Tamil Nadu neutrino project nixed

CHENNAI: The

environmental clearance

granted to the Indian based Neutrino Observatory (INO) project was on Monday kept in abeyance by the southern zone bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) in view of new facts such as presence of a national park and interstate border in the vicinity.

Though Environment Impact Assessment (

EIA

) notification specifies that if there is any interstate boundary or a national park within a 5km radius of the project site, the site has to be under A category project, the points were never brought before the NGT so far.

On Monday , it was brought to the notice of the NGT bench that a national park is located within 4.5 km radius of the subject site.

Madhikettan Shola National Park

in Kerala is within 4.5km of the site and the inter-state border within 1km.

An NGT bench of judicial member Justice P Jyothimani and member P S Rao said the Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change clearance must be kept in abeyance till officials ask for a fresh clearance with the new facts.

These facts were not revealed before and the ministry put the project in B 2 category that requires no EIA.

Institute of Mathematical Sciences physicist D Indumathi said the INO team would plan the next move. It would follow the procedures required for environmental nod, but finding an alternative location outside TN had so far not been considered.

“We filed for forest clearance but did not know Mathikettan Wildlife Sancturary is within 5km of the site, as claimed by the petitioner.[We have to] go back and file for fresh clearance. We have to first go to wildlife board and then to the MoEFCC.Whatever it requests, we'll follow,“ she said.

“It is not easy to find an alternative location. In Tamil Nadu, it is the best location geologically and environmentally ,“ she said.

“Instead of working on the project, we are doing everything else. We will wait for the written order and take a decision,“ department of atomic energy's Sekhar Basu said.