Rourkela: The under-construction Science Park and Planetarium at Kalinga Vihar of Chhend Colony has been marred by inordinate delays. The project has two components — a natural science park and a planetarium — and both have jumped the deadline over 20 months back. It was just before the election in 2019 that Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the park being built on 7.49 acre of land. The construction started in 2021 by Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC).
The science park is being built at a cost of `8 crore, while the planetarium is coming up for Rs 19.70 crore. The science park, will have exhibits of natural sciences like Newton’s laws of gravity and the atomic structure along with statues of animals and birds such as dinosaur, elephant, pelican depicting their habits and habitats. Apart from a few structures of the animals, there is a pathway that has come up at the construction site. But nothing has yet been mentioned about the animals, their hunting habits, and habitats in the park. Meanwhile, work on the boating lagoon has been completed. The pathway is being used by fitness enthusiasts for jogging and morning walks. When the sun goes down, the park gets covered with darkness.
Fortunately, it is yet to become a happy hunting ground for the anti-socials because it is surrounded on one side by a private management institute and on the other by busy roads. The market complex situated in front of the park is not ready yet to run businesses. “I am sure people will visit the complex, which will have mostly eateries even if the park project is getting delayed. But the administration is not looking at this,” said one of the shop owners. Work on the planetarium began April 29, 2019 and was scheduled to be over by July 28, 2022.
However, at this moment only the building stands and the entrance to the park awaits completion. When this was brought to the notice of the Rourkela ADM Ashutosh Kulkarni, he said, “I will speak to the concerned department authorities and will find out the actual reasons for the delay. Once I get to know everything, I will take the necessary steps to complete it.”
