Like Ranchi, like Dumka.
The second capital of Jharkhand is all set to join the stargazing club like the capital with the government expected to sign an MoU with Calcutta-based Creative Museum Designers (CMD) on Thursday for a planetarium in the Santhal Pargana district.
"The CMD functions under the National Council of Science Museums, which is again a wing of the Union science and technology ministry. The agreement will be inked at the chief minister's office on June 4," an official said, adding that the meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed because Raghubar Das had prior commitments.
The erstwhile Hemant Soren government had cleared the Dumka planetarium project just before the Assembly elections last year. In March 2014, Hemant had also laid the foundation stone for a Rs 27-crore planetarium at Ranchi Science Centre in Chiroundi with a deadline of 2.6 years.
On Dumka's proposed sky theatre, Umesh Kumar - the executive director of Ranchi Science Centre who is overseeing both projects - said a five-acre plot on the Government Polytechnic campus in the district had been earmarked. "The college has a total area of 64 acres of which five acres have been set aside for the planetarium. The total cost of the project is pegged at Rs 29.99 crore."
Kumar added that the CMD had already prepared a blueprint. "According to the soon-to-be-inked MoU, it will have to complete the project within three years."
The proposed planetarium is expected to fuel the knack for science among students, most of them from humble economic backgrounds. "Besides promoting the children's scientific bent of mind, it will also create a local tourism circuit," said an official of the state science department.
In Ranchi, the planetarium project is reportedly going slo-mo. Sources said civil work kicked off only two-three months ago, courtesy tender jinx, the twin elections in the past year and delayed technical clearances.
Kumar, however, claimed that the project was on track. "The wall foundation job of the 42,000sqm planetarium in the capital district is almost over now. Soon beams will be fixed to facilitate further construction. Despite the delay, I think we can still meet the deadline," he said.
Yes, the deadline can be met, provided the CMD manages to overcome unexpected bottlenecks that often raise their ugly head to hinder projects in Jharkhand.
