Kerala - Kannur   

Observatory tower to be opened on Monday

KANNUR: The observatory tower at the Science Park under the district panchayat here will become operational on December 24.

District panchayat president K.K. Narayanan said at a press conference here on Friday that Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan would inaugurate the observatory tower. He said that the observatory was envisaged as one of the major goals of the Science Park. An educational project for 2006-07, it could be completed in one year thanks to the concerted efforts of the district panchayat. The observatory was set up at a building constructed by the panchayat, he said adding that the estimated cost of the building was Rs.47 lakh.

Mr. Narayanan said that an imported telescope had been installed at the observatory with the technical help of the State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (STEC). With the inauguration, the observatory would be open to the public, he added.

The Science Park was inaugurated on November 12, 2002. It was the first science promotion institution to have been set up by a district panchayat in the State. The park’s facilities would make science learning and teaching interesting and to allow the students to grasp principles of science through practical means. “The Science Park has set the stage for popularisation of science and thousands of science enthusiasts have visited the park since its inception,” he said.

The observatory tower would also include workshops for students to conduct scientific experiments, a science library, a 250-seat conference hall, dormitory and a space pavilion being set up with the help of Indian Space Research Organisation, Mr. Narayanan said adding that EDUSAT facility would also be available at the tower.

Mr. Narayanan said that an energy park was also being envisaged in the Science Park. The district panchayat was planning to develop the park into a reference centre for the students, teachers and general public. There would be facilities for scientifically conscious people to congregate and discuss scientific issues, he said.

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