Of the 50 science models housed in the Fun Science section of Science City, Chiraundi, only 10 are in a working condition. Similarly, most of the scientific equipment in the section ‘resource of Jharkhand’ and ‘how things work’ lay dysfunctional due to lack of maintenance over the years.
Established in 2010, the Science Centre became a source of inspiration for Ranchi-ites soon and used to attract huge crowd every day. However, over the years, this hi-tech centre is now gradually losing its sheen. The visitors arriving here are now leaving disappointed because they cannot use most of the ‘use and learn’ equipment placed at the centre as most of them are non-functional.
“I am a mechanical engineer. The section named How Things Work really fascinates me. I had come to visit this place with high hopes to explore the secrets of science, but to my utter dismay not a single exhibit is in working condition,” said Avinash Paul, a visitor at Science City.
An official at the centre informed on the terms of anonymity that since its inauguration in 2010 by the then Chief Minister, not a single maintenance work has been carried out till date.
However, the in-charge of the centre informed that they are working towards fixing the problem.
“Science City is home to three major exhibits namely Fun Science, Resources of Jharkhand and How Things Work. The exhibit displaying Resources of Jharkhand is comparatively in a better condition than the other two exhibits. We are making arrangements for improving the situation in the near future by repairing or replacing the equipment,” said Subodh Kumar, the in-charge.
He added, “We are also adding a few benches in the lawn of this property for the convenience of the visitors.”
Apart from the equipment being non-functional, there also seemed to be a crisis of staff as all the chairs of demonstrators, who are supposed to operate the equipment for the common public to see, were empty.
An intern at Science City said, “We have not been given proper training for carrying out the various experiments here. We also lack the refined expertise for repairing these complicated scientific models. If we had proper training we might have been able to help get these equipment back in functioning condition.”
Science City also has a corner dedicated to 3D display which lays dysfunctional too. In addition to this, the science library at the centre is barred from public access.