TAMIL NADU SAYS NO TO INDIAN NEUTRINO OBSERVATORY (INO) PROJECT IN THENI.

Why in news?

• Tamil Nadu government has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that it would not permit the proposed INO at Bodi West Hills in Theni district.
• Affidavit raised following concerns over INO Project
  • Tunnelling work would create the problems like construction waste material, rock bust and roof collapse movement in the eco-fragile area.
  • Biodiversity impact as the region harbours many endemic species.
  • The area is a significant watershed and catchment zone for the rivers Sambhal and Kottakudi, and supports livelihoods in five districts of Tamilnadu.
  • The project area links Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala with Srivilliputhur Meghamalai Tiger Reserve. Quarrying and construction activities will upset wild animals which use the corridor for seasonal migration.

About Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO)

• It is a multi institutional effort aimed at building a world-class underground laboratory and an Iron Calorimeter (ICAL) detector for studying neutrinos.
• It aims to assess the properties of neutrino particles and to make precision measurements of the parameters related to neutrino oscillations.
• It is jointly funded by the of Atomic Energy and the Dept. of Science and Technology.

About Neutrinos

• Neutrinos are tiny neutral, elementary particles which interact with matter via the weak force. The weakness of this force gives neutrino the property that matter is almost transparent to them.
• The Sun and all other stars, produce neutrinos copiously due to nuclear fusion and decay processes within their core.
• Neutrinos provide a tool to study structure of nucleons (protons and neutrinos), to learn how matter evolved from simple particles into more complex composites of particles.