India Goes High On Particle Physics Research - Rs One Billion Neutrino Observatory To Be Located In Tamil Nadu

By Our Science Correspondent

New Delhi, March 13: The Central Government has approved a Rs 1583.05 crore (US $ 260.83 million) Neutrino Observatory (INO) Project, to be located in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu. Financial sanction has was issued on 06.01.2015.

The project includes construction of an underground lab and associated surface facilities at Pottipuram in Bodi West hills of Theni District, in Tamil Nadu, construction of a 50 kilo ton magnetized iron calorimeter detector to study a fundamental particle called neutrino, and setting up Inter-Institutional Centre for High Energy Physics at Madurai.

The environmental impact of the project has been taken into account before sanction of the project. Detailed studies on the environmental impact of the project were carried out by Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Environment & Forests, and geo-technical studies were carried out by the Geological Survey of India (GSI).

The Project is located in Tamil Nadu and the application for environmental clearance was submitted to the Department of Environment & Forests, Government of Tamil- Nadu. The Government of Tamil Nadu recommended and forwarded the application to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India for concurrence. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India has cleared the project.

This information was provided by MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an un-starred question in Rajya Sabha today.