The government intends to start work on an ambitious science city in two months with an aim to foster a scientific temperament among students.
Science and technology minister Jai Kumar Singh announced the decision in the Assembly on Tuesday, in response to a question from BJP MLA Arun Kumar. The minister said the detailed project report for the science city, proposed over 20 acres of land next to Premchand Rangshala in Patna's Rajendra Nagar, is almost complete and a cabinet clearance will be taken soon.
Chelsea West Architects has been entrusted with the consultancy work for the project. The science city proposal includes plans for a science theatre, earth application hall, evolution park, non-conventional energy village, musical mountain, butterfly garden, outdoor science park, fun science, energy education park, aquarium and an open park among other attractions.
Construction of a science city in Patna on the lines of the one in Calcutta was proposed by chief minister Nitish Kumar in 2013 while inaugurating the mirror gallery in Sri Krishna Vigyan Kendra. The estimated cost then was Rs 500 crore. Science City in Calcutta, a popular spot for tourists, students and residents alike, has an earth exploration hall, a space theatre, 3D vision theatre, space odyssey, evolution park, outdoor science park and other displays.
Sources said though Nitish announced the project in 2013, it could not be started because of the lackadaisical approach of bureaucrats, and inadequate land.
"Only 15 acres of land was available and that was inadequate," minister Singh said on Tuesday, stressing that the process of transfer of five acres of land for the project was on.
The revised cost for the project will be known after the final cabinet clearance, sources said.
BJP MLA Arun had alleged that the land earmarked for the science city was being used as a garbage dumping ground by the Patna Municipal Corporation but Singh assured the House that it would be stopped. In response to another question raised by BJP MLA Sanjay Sarogi, the science and technology minister stated that work for a planetarium-cum-science museum at Darbhanga will also commence soon. The proposed cost for this project is Rs 165 crore.
The science city will aim at encouraging natural curiosity among children to seek answers. It will be equipped with displays of experiments in all the three basic sciences - physics, chemistry and biology.
Rajmani Prasad Singh, a physics teacher and former chairman of Bihar School of Examination Board, said: "The basic idea of a science city is to foster scientific temper of students as the centre will have scientific experiments on light, heat, sound and optics, along with fluid mechanics."
The centre could be of great help to students, especially those from the rural areas who don't have laboratories in their schools. Apart from learning the nuances of scientific experiments, the centre will also help students know about how satellites function, how optical fibres are used for communication purposes and such like.
It also proposes to let residents know about the major science labs in the country, including National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
