Agartala, Jan 04, 2023, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Agartala, Jan 04: Finally, the much-awaited Agartala Science City has been inaugurated amid huge enthusiasm of people on Wednesday.

Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha has inaugurated the Science City built 12.84 acres land at Siddhi Ashram area in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, Jail minister Ramprasad Paul, MLA Mimi Majumder and other dignitaries.

The new facility has been constructed at the cost of Rs. 67.38 crore following the guidelines of National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).

According to a government press release, Rs. 22.68 crore has been spent by the Ministry of DoNER, Rs. 24.70 crore has been spent by the State Government and Rs. 20 crore has been spent from SPA for the construction of the Science City.

The main building consists of six Exhibition Halls, two Seminar Halls, one Planetarium, one 3D Hall, one Children Activity Hall. The exhibition components include Fun Science Exhibit Gallery, Astronomy, Temporary Exhibition, Biodiversity Gallery, 3D Theatre and Planetarium.

Besides, a Science Park will also be constructed in the coming days.

Addressing the programme, Dr. Saha said the new Science city would become a significant medium in making science learning fun. It would encourage the students towards science as well as attract the tourists, he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma said, only 30 percent works of the Science City were completed during the tenure of the previous government. He said, the present state managed funds from the state budget and other sources in a short span of time.

Director General of National Council of Science Museum- Arijit Dutta Choudhury, Principal Secretary of Science and Technology department- K.S. Sethi and Director Animesh Das among other dignitaries were also present in the inaugural ceremony.

The Chief Minister along with the other guests also inspected the newly-built Science City.

Meanwhile, the ticket price for entry into the main complex of the Science City would be Rs. 30 for general visitors, Rs. 20 for school students as general visitors and Rs. 10 for school students in groups.

Similarly, the price of the entry ticket for 3D theatre has been fixed at Rs. 30 for the general visitors, Rs. 30 for students as general visitors and Rs. 20 for students in group. The Science City would be a source of revenue earning, a minister said on Tuesday.