INO at Singara (a rejoinder to the rejoinder!)

My take on the India Neutrino Observatory has apparently upset a number of people opposed to the INO, as you might see from the comments on my response to the Hindu article and the INO's rejoinder; the tone of some comments is unlike anything I have seen in the brief history of this blog, too! I've even had a friend warn me that I am on thin ice - although what that means is not clear! In re-reading what I wrote, I can't quite figure out where that thin ice is, and why I should be worried about whatever lurks underneath! For merely writing what I thought of the project on my blog? Nevertheless, I welcome further comments, because the more we talk about these issues, and the more we get past name-calling, the more likely are we to find a solution - and I should remind those upset with me that while I have some sympathy towards my physicist colleagues, and curiosity about what they might discover at an INO, I have placed the burden of protecting the environment (and proving that they can indeed do so) squarely on the INO's shoulders! And I have not ruled out forcing the INO to shut down or go elsewhere - although I suspect similar issues will arise wherever they go in India, so the core environmental concerns will need to be addressed no matter where they go.

Now an organization called the Nilgiri Biosphere Alliance has posted a detailed response to the INO scientists' rejoinder. This is a more considered critique than the screed in the original Hindu article, and the issues raised cannot be easily brushed aside by the INO, so I hope they jump in to establish further dialog. For it seems to me that there is a real problem of a lack of communication between physicists, biologists, and local conservationists on the issues.

I do stand corrected on the status of Mudumalai - it apparently is now a Tiger Reserve, having recently been notified as such; Project Tiger clearly needs to update its website and map to reflect this! Knowing the rich wildlife (esp. megafauna) of the area, and having spent some happy moments watching elephants (and some exciting moments being charged by them) near Masinagudi, I am happy that Mudumalai will now get greater attention and resources under Project Tiger. I am also apprehensive about the talk of relocating people because of the tiger reserve notification, but that's another story unrelated to the INO. And here I still have some questions to which I would appreciate answers from anyone who knows more:

• What, exactly, is the legal status of the TNEB-leased land (under PUSHEP) that is the proposed site of the INO tunnel excavation, under the new Tiger Reserve?
• Where is the INO site in relation to the new Tiger Reserve boundaries, and how does that impact whether an activity like the INO tunnel-digging may or may not be permitted there?
• If the site is within the Tiger Reserve, and will have unmitigatedly disastrous environmental consequences as feared by many, surely it ought to be easier to shut it down, no?
• Has anyone initiated any legal steps, using any tiger reserve notification, to probe further into, or stall, the INO?

Meanwhile, I am also still waiting for any physicist to respond to the concerns I raised in my initial post on this subject. I hope they do, for I would like to hear from them. How about sharing that EIA report to begin with?