CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday reiterated that the Government of India should drop the proposal of setting-up the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) at Pottipuram village in Theni district. He wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second time seeking his intervention after fresh attempts were made in the Supreme Court in favour of the project.
In the letter, Stalin said the project site 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 project activities,” he said.
The project site also falls within the Bodi Hills West reserve forest, which lies in the southern Western Ghats. The Western Ghats are considered a global biodiversity hotspot harbouring numerous species of flora and fauna. This area also links ecologically to the eastern habitats where the Srivilliputhur Meghamalai Tiger Reserve is located and hosts tigers from the region, Stalin said in the letter.
The chief minister also said the area forms a significant watershed and catchment area for the Sambai and Kottakudi rivers. Small streams on the west of Bodi Hills join the Kottakudi river, which joins the Periyar river before draining into the Vaigai dam. “This watershed is the lifeline of the local communities as it supports their livelihood and provides water for drinking and agricultural needs of five districts of Tamil Nadu,” he said.
A ministerial delegation from the State has also met Union minister Piyush Goyal in September last year and requested for the project to be dropped, considering the repercussions it may cause.