Indian Express: Chennai: Sunday, March 18, 2018.
City-based
environmental organisation Poovulagin Nanbargal has accused India-based
Neutrino Observatory (INO) collaboration of submitting false information before
the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of Union Ministry of Environment, Forest
and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), which recently recommended grant of
environment clearance.
G
Sundarrajan, coordinator of the outfit, alleged that the committee in its 27th
meeting held on January 25 this year had deferred the grant of environmental
clearance seeking some additional information, which included detailed Geo
Technical Investigation Report on the study carried out for locating
underground laboratory of the INO at Pottipuram, detailed status of court cases
pending/disposed against the project and details of a public hearing on July 8,
2010, held by the Collector with 1,200 local villagers from Pottipuram
Panchayat in a tabular form along with the action plan.
Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), which is leading the INO
collaboration, has submitted details of INO outreach meeting, instead of public
hearing.
“As per the
rules, a public hearing has legal binding and there is a set of rules that has
to be followed to conduct a public hearing. The INO collaboration has conducted
nearly 100 outreach meeting in various districts and these cannot qualify as
public hearings. They should give wide publicity and advertise about the
hearing in vernacular newspapers. It was not done. I have filed an RTI
application with Theni district administration on the minutes of public hearing
conducted,” he said.
Sundarrajan,
who also filed petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against neutrino
project, said if Union Environment Ministry grants environmental clearance, it
would violate the order pronounced by the southern bench of NGT.
“We will
challenge the clearance immediately before NGT Delhi and even approach Supreme
Court, if required,” he said.
Meanwhile, an
anti-neutrino awareness campaign will be started from Madurai on March 31 by
MDMK leader Vaiko. He is scheduled to go on a ‘padayatra’ for 11 days from
Madurai to Bodi Hills in Theni district covering all the villages.
In response,
an INO official told Express that the TIFR has submitted all documents sought
by the EAC. “The July 8, 2010, public hearing was conducted in the presence of
Theni district collector, superintendent of police, district revenue officer,
forest officer and then Bodi legislator Lakshmanan,” the official clarified.
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