Site identified at Birpur yet to be cleared by NSCM
*Land development work apace for similar centre in Srinagar
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 7: There is absolutely no headway on the establishment of Sub-Regional Science Centre in Jammu even several years after in-principle approval given by the Union Culture Ministry. However, the land development work is apace in respect of similar centre in Srinagar.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that in the month of August 2015, the Union Ministry of Culture sanctioned Sub-Regional Science Centre for Srinagar at a cost of Rs 20 crore and conveyed to the J&K Government that National Council for Science Museums (NCSM) would extend all technical support for establishment of centre soon after the suitable land is identified for the purpose.
Even assurance was extended to the J&K Government that similar centre would also be considered for Jammu after the first one comes up and start popularizing science and technology for the benefits of the students.
“After so many hiccups, the land for Sub-Regional Science Centre was identified at Lal Mandi in Srinagar and presently the land development and fencing work is going on at a rapid pace. However, in respect of similar centre in Jammu there is absolutely no headway till date for want of suitable site”, they informed.
In the year 2019, two sites for Sub-Regional Science Centre were identified in Bhagwati Nagar area and the team of National Council for Science Museums also inspected the same but these sites were not found suitable mainly because of being in close proximity to River Tawi.
In the month of March this year, the J&K Government again approached the National Council for Science Museums with the request to inspect more sites identified in Miran Sahib and Bari Brahamana areas and even a tentative date for visit was conveyed by the NSCM but at the eleventh hour the visit was postponed for unknown reasons.
“Since then there is no headway on the establishment of Sub-Regional Science Centre although after intensive search one land parcel has been identified at Birpur in Samba district and revenue papers are under preparation”, sources informed, adding “the Science and Technology Department is in the process of completing the formalities vis-à-vis this land as per the revised guidelines of the Union Ministry of Culture”.
It would be only after completion of procedural formalities that the Science and Technology Department would formally approach the Union Culture Ministry and then National Council for Science Museums for site inspection, they said, adding “in the meanwhile, the department is also in the process of identifying a parcel of Jammu Development Authority land in Nagrota area so that during the visit of NSCM team this site is also inspected”.
Expressing inability to specify any time-frame for the finalization of site for Sub-Regional Science Centre in Jammu, an officer of the Science and Technology Department said, “it would be only after the approval of the site either at Birpur or in Nagrota that indent would be placed for transfer of land to the department”, adding “as per the revised guidelines of the Union Culture Ministry some formalities are required to be completed before inviting NSCM for site selection and we are in the process of doing so”.
“The identification of land for Sub-Regional Science Centre at Jammu got delayed due to lack of interest from the previous Governments in Jammu and Kashmir but in the recent past directions were issued from the top to the Divisional Commissioner Jammu for identification of land at different places within the shortest possible time”, sources informed.
The objective behind establishment of Sub-Regional Science Centre is to provide an experiment based learning ambience to inculcate a spirit of inquiry, foster creative talent and create scientific tamper in the community as a whole. It is characterised by its two-pronged channel of communication – exhibits and activities.
Supplementing science education given in schools and colleges and to organize various out-of-school educational activities to foster a spirit of scientific inquiry and creativity among the students; to design, develop and fabricate science museum exhibits, demonstration equipment and scientific teaching aids for science education and popularization of science; to organize training programmes for science teachers / students/young entrepreneurs/ technicians/ physically challenged/ housewives and others on specific subjects of science, technology and industry are the other objectives behind establishment of Science Centres.
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