Planetarium to get a facelift
13 Jun, 2007
PATNA: If all the decisions taken in the review
meeting of the science and technology department are
implemented in entirety, the state could well achieve
the feat accomplished by Gertruda Grzebska, the Polish
national, who came out of coma after 19 years. CM
Nitish Kumar presided over the meet on Tuesday.

"Now you will have to play the role of Grzebska's wife
who nursed him back from coma," department's
secretary-cum-commissioner Ajay Kumar Thakur told CM
Nitish Kumar jokingly.

Named "Coma", Thakur's powerpoint presentation is a
grim reminder of the fact that science and technology
in Bihar has remained in a state of coma for long.

The decisions approved in the meet include
transformation of Indira Gandhi Science Complex, which
houses the planetarium, into a state-of-the-art
structure at a cost of Rs 40 crore.

"It will be run by laser technology and maintained by
one of the most ultra-modern planetariums in the
country. It will also have a science centre, a
cafeteria and meeting halls," Thakur said, adding that
a decision had also been taken on opening another
planetarium in North Bihar.

The meeting also decided to reopen three engineering
colleges in Darbhanga, Gaya and Motihari, which were
taken over by the previous regime and closed down. The
department will appoint nationally recognised
consultants on a turnkey basis.

They will be responsible for everything — buildings,
syllabi and faculty position. The consultants will
also be given the task of opening new engineering
colleges in Chandi in Nalanda district and Madhepura
apart from setting up a polytechnic at Asthawan.

The meeting decided to open a model polytechnic and
replicate it later in other districts.

A decision on "e-learning" was also taken. This
includes opening a resource centre from where quality
faculty members could teach students in all
engineering colleges in the state through video
conferencing. The meeting also okayed a proposal to
have district science centres in all the districts and
decided to revive the Bihar Council for Science and
Technology.

The council will be involved in all activities related
to promoting science and technology in the state. The
meeting also mooted revival of the Bihar Remote
Sensing Agency. The Agency will provide satellite
pictures and submit reports on construction of roads,
agriculture, irrigation and flood control.




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