One reason for the ICMR's extreme caution with this project is the fear that tinkering with the genome of aedes aegypti mosquito might make it a vector of fatal yellow fever that does not exist in India.

But Luke Alphey, research director of Oxitec, says it is not likely. 'Oxitec's technology simply acts to reduce the number of mosquitoes by killing progeny of wild - sterile matings. It does not aim to alter vector competence of living mosquitoes,' Alphey told IANS.

But the ICMR has been cautious ever since 1975 when the Indian government terminated a US-funded aedes release experiment at Sonepat in Haryana on the recommendation of an expert committee.

'Two years ago Oxitec came to us for testing its technology but we said no,' said P. Jambulingam, director of VCRC. 'We also made it clear to them that India did not encourage this method for mosquito control. I do not know how the company managed to get permission from RCGM.'

A.P.Dash, then director of the ICMR's National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR), says he rejected Oxitec's proposal when RCGM sought his comments.

Bhargava is surprised at Oxitec's persistence to 'enter through the back door' by trying to get the risky technology validated by a private company near Chennai after it failed to get the support of ICMR institutes.

The company (International Institute of Biotechnology and Toxicology, IIBAT), despite the high sounding name, is a service provider for pesticide and chemicals producers with no previous experience in mosquito research.

'The 'international' tag does not mean we have an international staff. It only means we do (contract) work for foreign companies,' admits IIBAT director Balakrishna Murthy.

K.K. Tripathi, adviser in DBT and secretary of RCGM, confesses that he favored Oxitec technology even though 'every mosquito expert' he consulted including V.P. Sharma, former director of NIMR and an authority in this field, opposed it.

'Oxitec technology is wonderful, just the right one for developing countries,' Tripathi said. 'I am taking the responsibility in promoting this for the benefit of India.'

However, Tripathi's predecessor P.K. Ghosh says that with so many adverse comments, RCGM should not have permitted the trial in a hurry.

V.P. Kamboj, a reproductive biologist who chairs RCGM, says there is no cause for concern as no GM mosquitoes have been released yet.

'We have permitted only breeding and mating trials within a confined facility to verify the company's claims.'

He said that in the light of concerns expressed by some experts, the committee will again examine the issues closely. 'If we find the trials are not in the national interest, we will not allow it to move further.'

(K. S. Jayaraman can be contacted at killugudi@hotmail.com)