Science City still remains a piece of fiction

Science City still remains a piece of fiction

Three years after announcing its plans to set up a Science City in Bangalore the government is still busy searching for land.
Deccan Herald

It does not take much to dream big and it takes much less to announce bigger plans. In 2002, the state government announced its plans to establish a Science City in Bangalore replete with I-max theatre, space museum and pavilions on electronics, IT and BT.

In fact, when details of the Science City project were announced at a function attended by former chief minister S M Krishna there was a standing ovation from the audience.

Who would not have applauded after being told that the visitors to the Sci-City would have access to I-max theatre, space museum, large scale working models to depict the development of science and technology, international convention hall, special facilities for students, and pavilions on agriculture, IT, food processing, electronics, automobile and machine tools.

Well, three years down the line, the government is still busy searching for land for the project!

The Rs 70-crore project, conceived by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), is yet to materialise. The state government had identified 100 acres in the midst of the Bannerghatta forest area, but the same was cancelled last year after some wildlife activists expressed fears of possible harm to the elephant corridor in the locality.

A little probing revealed that the government, in fact, was little concerned about wild life protection but was more keen on pleasing the police force as a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Rifles training centre is planned to be established in the same locality.

The DST is now looking at a 100-acre land belonging to the Karnataka Film Development Corporation (KFDC) in Hesaraghatta. But, the acquisition process is yet to begin. New hurdles have cropped up as KFDC is being considered for disinvestment, sources in the government said.

For the records, of the projected cost of Rs 70 crore, 13 per cent will be given by the Centre through the ministry of culture, while another 13 per cent will be the State’s contribution.

Meanwhile, Isro has disowned that it had committed itself for setting up a space museum at the proposed Science City. “The government had only requested us to consider setting up a space museum at the location, we have not given them any assurance to the effect”, top Isro officials said.

Science and Technology Minister Basavaraj Horatti has decided to constitute an experts’ committee to decide on the nature of the proposed park and its constituents. So we are back to where we started.

A science city will be established in Bangalore replete with I-max theatre, space museum and pavilions on electronics, IT and BT..... Feel like giving another standing ovation?

Butterfly park

Meanwhile, remember Bangalore was supposed to have India’s first butterfly park. Three announcements have already been made during the last three years - the latest by Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal.

At least in this case the land for setting up the park has been identified.

The park is being set up over 7.5 acres at a cost of Rs 3.5 crore, and is expected to house about 1,500 species of Indian butterflies.

The latest deadline for completion of the park, an initiative of the National Bio-resource Development Board, is August next.