Chhatrapur: After much dillydallying, the administration has finally demarcated a patch of land for a planetarium-cum-science park at Bikrampur in Gopalpur area of Ganjam.
Meanwhile, IDCO has signed an agreement with a construction agency to develop the planetarium. It was learnt that 8.48 acres of land has been identified in the presence of Kainsi tehsildar and Gopalpur revenue inspector for the ambitious project instead of 10 acres.
The land has already been handed over to the science and technology department. However, there are still hiccups hampering the project. In a letter, the divisional head of the Berhampur IDCO has intimated the Collector about the land demarcation.
The letter stated that a 100-ft approach road will be laid in front of the planetarium. A patch of land as wide as 30 ft-wide being used as a bus stop will be made part of the 100-ft road. Besides, an LT power line has passed through the area.
The electric infrastructure will be shifted elsewhere. The work of the project has failed to take off as land demarcation by the administration was getting delayed. In the initial phase, the construction agency has been assigned to raise the boundary wall of the planetarium.
The divisional head of the Berhampur IDCO has requested the director of the Pathani Samanta Planetarium (Bhubaneswar) to visit the place and make suggestions for the project. This planetarium will be the state’s third after Bhubaneswar and Sambalpur.
The planetarium will help in creating awareness about astronomy, astrophysics and space science. Activities such as night sky viewing and audio-visual programmes and poster shows, display of astronomical devices for students as well as visitors will be organized. Notably, the first planetarium of the state was set up in Bhubaneswar in 1980.
Following the demand from different parts of the state to set up more planetariums, the government inaugurated the state’s second planetarium named Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Planetarium at Burla in Sambalpur at a cost of nearly Rs 15 crore.
PNN