<p>Chikkamagaluru: Soon, Chikkamagaluru will have a planetarium on the lines of the Sub-Regional Science Centre at Pilikula in Mangaluru.</p><p>Preparations to set up the planetarium including the project design are in progress.</p><p>The establishment of the Sub-Regional Science Centre and the planetarium is nearly a decade-old demand of the district and recently, the project received administrative approval from both the state and central governments.</p><p>Legislator H D Thammaiah raised a question in this regard in the legislative assembly recently, and in response, he was told that funds for the project have been allocated and the process of tendering for the observatory design has begun.</p><p><strong>Conceived in 2016</strong></p><p>The plan to develop a Sub-Regional Science Centre and the planetarium was conceived in 2016. Initially, a site near the Morarji Desai Residential School near Thegur close to Chikkamagaluru was identified. However, the Forest Department did not approve it and the government went ahead with a site next to the Kendriya Vidyalaya.</p><p>The project will be carried forward by the Department of Science and Technology, in partnership with the National Council for Science Museums (NCSM) of the Union Ministry of Culture.</p><p><strong>Planetarium features</strong> </p><p>According to sources, the planetarium will feature an eight-metre dome, an outdoor science park, office buildings, and equipment for sky gazing.</p><p>A nine-acre, 36-gunta plot in Survey No 217 of Ambale village has been identified for the project. </p><p>In 2019, the deputy commissioner transferred this land to the district’s Sub-Regional Science Centre Society, and the land record is being created, sources added.</p><p>At the district-level, the deputy commissioner will serve as the Society’s president and the Deputy Director of the Department of Public Education acting as the secretary. The Society will be responsible for maintaining the necessary land and infrastructure.</p><p>The Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society (KSTePS) will act as the nodal agency and coordinate with the central and state governments for the project.</p><p>KSTePS has already acquired the necessary documents for the land, including approval from the Forest Department and a control map from the Public Works Department. The tender process for the design of the observatory and the outdoor science park has already started, sources confirmed.</p><p>The total budget allocation is Rs 14.60 crore including Rs 6.65 crore for the outdoor science park and Rs 7.95 crore for the dome-shaped observatory.</p><p>According to officials, the area surrounding the Kendriya Vidyalaya and the Government Medical College includes several educational institutions and with the development of the planetarium, this area is expected to transform into an educational hub in just a few years. The planetarium will benefit students to enhance their understanding of science, especially astronomy.</p><p>Currently, such science centres can be seen only in Bengaluru and Mangaluru.</p>
<p>Chikkamagaluru: Soon, Chikkamagaluru will have a planetarium on the lines of the Sub-Regional Science Centre at Pilikula in Mangaluru.</p><p>Preparations to set up the planetarium including the project design are in progress.</p><p>The establishment of the Sub-Regional Science Centre and the planetarium is nearly a decade-old demand of the district and recently, the project received administrative approval from both the state and central governments.</p><p>Legislator H D Thammaiah raised a question in this regard in the legislative assembly recently, and in response, he was told that funds for the project have been allocated and the process of tendering for the observatory design has begun.</p><p><strong>Conceived in 2016</strong></p><p>The plan to develop a Sub-Regional Science Centre and the planetarium was conceived in 2016. Initially, a site near the Morarji Desai Residential School near Thegur close to Chikkamagaluru was identified. However, the Forest Department did not approve it and the government went ahead with a site next to the Kendriya Vidyalaya.</p><p>The project will be carried forward by the Department of Science and Technology, in partnership with the National Council for Science Museums (NCSM) of the Union Ministry of Culture.</p><p><strong>Planetarium features</strong> </p><p>According to sources, the planetarium will feature an eight-metre dome, an outdoor science park, office buildings, and equipment for sky gazing.</p><p>A nine-acre, 36-gunta plot in Survey No 217 of Ambale village has been identified for the project. </p><p>In 2019, the deputy commissioner transferred this land to the district’s Sub-Regional Science Centre Society, and the land record is being created, sources added.</p><p>At the district-level, the deputy commissioner will serve as the Society’s president and the Deputy Director of the Department of Public Education acting as the secretary. The Society will be responsible for maintaining the necessary land and infrastructure.</p><p>The Karnataka Science and Technology Promotion Society (KSTePS) will act as the nodal agency and coordinate with the central and state governments for the project.</p><p>KSTePS has already acquired the necessary documents for the land, including approval from the Forest Department and a control map from the Public Works Department. The tender process for the design of the observatory and the outdoor science park has already started, sources confirmed.</p><p>The total budget allocation is Rs 14.60 crore including Rs 6.65 crore for the outdoor science park and Rs 7.95 crore for the dome-shaped observatory.</p><p>According to officials, the area surrounding the Kendriya Vidyalaya and the Government Medical College includes several educational institutions and with the development of the planetarium, this area is expected to transform into an educational hub in just a few years. The planetarium will benefit students to enhance their understanding of science, especially astronomy.</p><p>Currently, such science centres can be seen only in Bengaluru and Mangaluru.</p>