E-Paper
Wait for date with stars goes on
City’s sole planetarium has been lying shut for the past three years in the absence of dedicated technicians and repair-related issues
Space enthusiasts hoping to gain insights into the world of galaxies continue to return disheartened as the city’s only planetarium is yet to welcome visitors despite repeated announcements by the authorities to reopen the same.
Established in 1987, Nehru Planetarium at the Rose Garden has been out of operation since March 2020 in the absence of dedicated technicians and repair-related issues. The municipal corporation (MC) had announced last year that the planetarium will be thrown open to the public from Children’s Day onwards, but the declaration remains on paper only.
The MC authorities were to tie up with government schools so that students could visit the place for educational purposes. After the announcements regarding the opening, even private schools brought buses full of students during the first week but had to return as arrangements for the opening were incomplete.
Currently, only a watchman-cum-caretaker and a technician, who is on a contractual basis, have been employed by the MC to run the 80-seater planetarium. Five out of six air conditioners that were required to keep the projector functional are lying defunct due to the lack of timely repairs.
After the old staff, including an expert in space sciences, retired, no new staff have been recruited. The planetarium still requires a ticket checker, an operator, an electrician and other staff to function in a smooth manner.
The last upgrade was undertaken in 2017 and around ₹50 lakh was spent on an imported projector and ₹5 lakh was used on the renovation. At least six shows on different topics with a duration between 8 and 20 minutes used to be held at the auditorium during the peak days.
Sources said that since the announcement, it has been opened only five to six times that too for MC officials or MLAs, who had come for checking.
An employee requesting anonymity said that the public’s enthusiasm at the educational centre had declined over the years due to the lack of required upgrade and much-needed publicity. The footfall at the venue on weekends had come down to only 50 to 55 people.
The fee was also too low that it was impossible to sustain the cost of running the operations.
Malwinder Singh, a resident of Model Town, said the planetarium has the potential to become both an educational and a tourist spot. He said the authorities should take suggestions from experts to make it self-sustainable.
MC zonal commissioner Jasdev Singh Sekhon said that all required arrangements to reopen the place have been completed and a technician has been hired. He added that talks are underway with schools and the planetarium will start regular shows.
