Establishment of Regional Science Centre at Jammu
Sub-Regional Centre at Srinagar near completion
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Dec 31: National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) team is likely to inspect in the month of February the newly proposed sites for establishment of Regional Science Centre at Jammu, which was agreed to by the Union Culture Ministry several years back. Moreover, the work on Sub-Regional Science Centre at Lal Mandi in Srinagar is on last stage of completion.
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Official sources told EXCELSIOR that several years back the Union Ministry of Culture sanctioned Sub-Regional Science Centre for Srinagar at a cost of Rs 20 crore and extended assurance to the J&K Government that Regional Science Centre will be established at Jammu at a cost of Rs 50 crore after the first one comes up and start popularizing science and technology for the benefits of the students.
“After so many hiccups, the suitable land for Sub-Regional Science Centre was identified at Lal Mandi in Srinagar and now the project is on last stage of completion and is likely to be inaugurated within next few months”, sources said.
As far as establishment of Regional Science Centre at Jammu is concerned, several sites were identified in Bari Brahmana, Miran Sahib, Bhalwal and Akhnoor areas and shown to the teams of National Council of Science Museums from time to time but all these sites were rejected on the ground that they are not in close proximity to the National Highway.
“The NCSM wants Regional Science Centre to be established along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway so as to attract the tourists and pilgrims in large numbers and generate enough funds through ticketing for self-sustaining”, sources said while disclosing that the Science and Technology Department of J&K Government through the Jammu district administration has now identified more sites.
They further said, “these sites are at Chowadhi, few meters away from the National Highway, and near Jamboo Zoo in Nagrota area and a team of NCSM is likely to inspect these sites in the month of February 2025”, adding “there is all probability that team will approve the site at Nagrota for meeting the criteria of NCSM particularly from commercial viability point of view”.
In response to a question, sources said, “J&K Government is supposed to provide only developed land (fully fenced with power and water connections) and rest of the expenditure on the construction of Regional Science Centre will be made by the Union Culture Ministry through NCSM”.
It is pertinent to mention here that announcement regarding establishment of Regional Science Centre at Jammu was also made by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting Supplementary Demands for Grants of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir for 2022-23 and Budget for 2023-24 in the Parliament on March 13, 2023.
“Process for establishment of Regional Science Centre, Jammu to be taken in collaboration with National Council of Science Museums, Ministry of Culture, Government of India”, she had stated.
The objective behind establishment of 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.
The other objectives are to supplement science education being 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; 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.
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