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INO project since its inception is mired with controversies.A number of op-eds have been written on this issue.

Context

1. India’s wait to join the elite club of countries undertaking neutrino research suffered a procedural delay
2. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) suspended the environmental clearance (EC) granted to the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO)
3. It was ordered it to file a fresh application for clearance

INO project:

• 1. The proposed INO project primarily aims to study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300-m deep cavern in the
  2. Bodi West Hills in Theni district, Tamil Nadu
  3. If completed, the INO would house the largest magnet in the world
  4. It will be four times more massive than the European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN’s Compact
  5. Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector’s magnet

Neutrinos:

• 1. Neutrinos are tiny particles. They are almost massless. They travel at near light speeds.
  2. They are born from violent astrophysical events such as exploding stars and gamma ray bursts
  3. Therefore, they are abundant in the universe and can move as easily through matter as we move through air
  4. They are notoriously difficult to track down. If you hold your hand towards the sunlight for one second, about a billion neutrinos from the sun will pass through it
  5. This is because they are the by-products of nuclear fusion in the sun

Aim of the INO project:

• 1. It aims to use to understand some of the unsolved mysteries of the universe Setback of delayed project
  2. The suspension of INO’s environmental clearance is a setback
  3. The scientific community hopes these procedural lapses will be addressed in an earnest and time-bound manner

Environmental issues

1. After initially denying permission to the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to locate the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) at Singara in Nilgris District in TamilNadu, Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), Government of India accorded both environmental and forest clearance for locating the project in the Bodi West Hills (BWH) in Theni District in TamilNadu.
2. However, Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has recently suspended the environmental clearance granted to the neutrino observatory by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF), due to some objections such as the proposed location being just about 4.9 kilometers from the Madhikettan Shola National Park in Idukki district of Kerala.
3. The Southern Bench of National Green Tribunal has asked the project promoters to submit a fresh application with more details.
4. The project has also been objected by local people on safety consideration. The project is suffering prolonged delay.

Criticism of INO Project:

• 1. The explosives used in construction are a threat to the highly sensitive ecology of the Western Ghats
  2. The relevant radiation safety studies for carrying out the long baseline neutrino experiment in the second phase of INO have not been done
  3. There are further allegations that neutrinos are radioactive particles
  4. The INO will double up the storage of nuclear waste

The better side of the story:

• 1. The proposed excavation is planned to be carried out by a controlled blast, limiting the impact of vibrations with the help of computer simulations
  2. Additionally, building the INO involves constructing an underground lab accessed by a 2 km-long horizontal access tunnel, resembling a road tunnel
  3. Such tunnels have been built extensively in India and the relevant studies show that the environmental impact (mainly dust and noise in the initial phase) have been managed

Q.) Critically examine the uses of understanding of neutrinos, and significance of its research for India. Also critically comment why set-up of neutrino research facility in India is being opposed.

Source:

http://southasiajournal.net/why-is-neutrino-observatory-project-facing-issues-in-india/