Regional science centres to come up at Rajahmundry, Vizag ================================================ The Andhra Pradesh State Council for Science and Technology (APCOST) has proposed setting up a regional science centre at Rajahmundry and another similar proposal for Vizag is also being mooted for the benefit of students from north coastal Andhra. While the regional science centre at Rajahmundry will be developed at a cost of Rs 5 crore as per initial estimations, sources said the Central and state governments will be providing matching funds of Rs 2.5 crore each for setting up the centres. Confirming the move to TOI, APCOST member secretary Y Nagesh Kumar said, The regional science centre at Rajahmundry has already been sanctioned and another centre at Vizag is under discussion. Apart from the regional centres, the APCOST has also proposed setting up of community science centres in each district of Andhra Pradesh. Each centre, estimated to cost Rs 1.5 crore along with a mobile science lab, will be touring remote parts of the district to enable students from rural areas to gain practical knowledge of science. Sources said that science exhibits such as models of solar systems, wind mills, global positioning systems (GPS), and interaction with scientists along with demonstrations will be available at the regional science centres. Referring to the regional centre at Rajahmundry, Nagesh Kumar said, We have visited two or three probable sites in Rajahmundry and as per Central government norms well need a minimum of five acres for the regional science centre. We want the location to be in the town itself as it will benefit students. Elaborating on the mobile science lab, he said, It will be a lab on wheels with miniature models that will be able to showcase some experiments to students. Meanwhile, sources said that a science city project at a cost of Rs 50 crore was proposed by former Vizag MP and former union minister D Purandeswari, but as per NCSM (National Council for Science Museums) guidelines, Vizag didnt meet the eligibility criteria following which it was suggested that a regional science centre could be setup at Kapuluppada at an estimate of Rs 15 crore. Even though the conceptual and pre-feasibility report for the project on an area of seven acres was submitted to the state and central government, the project didnt take off. Sources said that as per the pre-feasibility report footfalls to the tune of 14 lakh per year were expected, which would make the centre self-sustainable. The project was supposed to serve as a first of its kind project in north coastal AP and was to also cater to the southern districts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh. With a change in government, we should now see if the same project is revived or a new regional science centre is proposed, said a Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (Vuda) official.
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 02:25:57 +0000
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