Forest Science Centre plagued by apathy

Lack of social and economic development of the city is not something new. In fact the city falls in the category of cities across the State which ranks low on these development factors.

Sadly, the city also lacks good education institutions and recreational facilities. People migrating to Bangalore and other big cities in the State for education is a common sight here.

The Forest Science Centre and Forest Agriculture Demonstration Centre at the Forest Department park in Solaalappanadinne in the city, which has been closed for many years now, is an ideal example of this.

Strangely, the centre with its own building and other facilities, has fallen into disuse and has not been useful to the residents of the district. The centre which is filled with dust, is dirty evoking a sense that people have hardly visited the place. Even the Forest department park is badly maintained.

About the centre

Though the district is part of the Eastern dry zone in the State, its forests’ are rich in flora and fauna and boosts of good population of wildlife animals.

To highlight this and to provide further information, the Centre was established 14 years ago on January 27, 1999. The Centre was inaugurated by the then Forest minister D Manjunath. The then Agriculture minister C Byregowda and MLA M Shivanand gave green signal for the Centre’s activities. However, down the years, the Centre has lost its significance.

Animal models

Inside the centre, there are models of animals along with sign boards containing both the common and scientific names of varieties of trees, plants and animals. The seeds of many trees and plants have also been preserved. However, they are buried in a thick layer of dust.

The sorry state of the centre has depressed many residents of the city. The residents said that the centre during its heydays functioned well with the forest department giving several information useful to the people.

K Gopal, a residents said that after the closure of the Centre, it had not been opened till today. The same fate has fallen even on the park. Earlier, deers roamed around here. But now even they have vanished, he added.