Chennai: Tamilnadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to drop the proposed setting up of the India Based ANeutrino Observatory (INO) at Pottipuram village in Theni district of the State.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, a copy of which was released to the media, Stalin sought his intervention in the matter and advise the authorities concerned to drop the INO project in the State.
He also recalled the memorandum submitted to Modi on 17 June, 2021 and
said the request to drop the INO project was made in the large interest of
conservation of the rich wildlife and biodiversity of the region as it would
cause irreversible damage to the fragile and sensitive eco system.
He said it was pertinent to note that the site, which is being proposed for the
Neutrino project falls within the Mathikettan–Periyar Tiger corridor as mapped by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
The Corridor has the critical function of maintaining the genetic flow, which
will be destroyed due to the project activities, he added.
Highlighting the views expressed by the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), the Chief Minister said a Ministerial delegation from the State met Union Minister for Industries and Commerce Piyush Goyal on 27 September last year and conveyed the State’s specific stand and had requested to drop the project considering the serious repercussions that could be caused by it.