Science City in Guntur?

Guntur Member of Parliament Galla Jayadev made a vociferous demand for setting up of a ‘Science City’ in Guntur as the one that was granted to undivided Andhra Pradesh had gone to Telangana.

Speaking in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Jayadev maintained that the State has been orphaned with several centres of excellence located in Hyderabad and had been retained by that State. He said that AP has been handicapped as students from Guntur and other districts are being forced to move out in large numbers for higher studies and research. Speaking on the advantages of a Science City, Jayadev noted that Guntur has already established its name as the Knowledge City and as an education hub, even before it became the capital region. He assured that the AP government would give land for the Science City and all logical cooperation in this regard.

Jayadev also spoke in support of the bill which aims to confer the status of ‘institute of national importance’ on three schools of planning and architecture including the one in Vijayawada. Jayadev said that the passage of the Bill was important as students of Kanchipuram and the school of planning and architechture at Vijayawada have been waiting for it for over six years. These schools have not been conferred the deemed university status. “They are now not able to issue degrees to students since 2008-09. So, to confer degrees to graduates, the schools will get authorisation only when this Bill becomes an Act,” he maintained.

Concept of a Science City
In Hyderabad, The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) had come up with a proposal for setting up the country’s largest Science City on an 85-acre site at Budvel in Rajendranagar.

To be developed on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode, the Hyderabad Science City would present the growth of science and technology and their applications in industry and human welfare. “The facility will seek to develop a sense of scientific enquiry not only among students, but also the general public,” an official said.

In association with the AP Council of Science and Technology and other experts, the HMDA has developed various themes that would be part of the Science City and these include a space station, earth pavilion, life sciences, I-Max 9D virtual reality, energy park, science and art.

The facility would also have a large planetarium and interactive multimedia on solar power and expositions related to subjects such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, breaking of glaciers and global warming.

The project would join the cluster of Science Cities functioning at Kolkata, Kapurtala, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.