Berhampur: The state government has planned to place Gopalpur in the world tourist map as a third planetarium will come up in the sea resort for the benefits of science lovers and astronomy enthusiasts, a report said Wednesday.
This will be the third planetarium in the state which will come up at Bikrampur near Gopalpur along with a science park at a cost of Rs 12 crore. The planetarium will be built by the state science and technology department in collaboration with state owned Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (IDCO).
The construction of the compound wall for the planetarium is on the last leg while the process has begun for construction of a science park.
The state government with an aim to place Gopalpur on the world tourism map has taken up various projects to attract more and tourists to the place for which the Berhampur Development Authority (BeMC) has taken up the construction of a eco-retreat hub in the resort town.
Sources said the state science and technology department has sent a proposal for construction of a science park at a cost of Rs 6.50 crore to IDCO February 4. The science park is designed on the lines of a science park under construction at Tukurala under Bhatli block in Bargarh district.
Notably, to develop the tourist circuit of Gopalpur and make it more attractive for the visiting tourists the state government has planned to construct the planetarium on the lines of Pathani Samanta Planetarium of Bhubaneswar and a science park in the area. Over 10 acre of land ha been identified at Bikrampur January, 2018.
While the science park will be built on five acre the rest five acre will be used for construction of the planetarium. The science and technology department has currently sanctioned Rs 49 lakh for construction of the compound wall for the planetarium. The work has begun from November and is expected to complete soon.
When contacted, Ashok Kumar Mishra, IDCO’s regional head in Berhampur said that so far he has not received any direction for construction of the science park but the compound wall construction for the planetarium is on the last leg and will get completed by March.
PNN