Work on APJ Abdul Kalam Science City to begin this month

PATNA: The state government has moved one step closer to setting up the proposed Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Science City in the state capital.
The bidding process has been completed and three construction firms have shown interest in the project. The construction work is likely to commence from February-end.

State building construction department executive engineer Ram Babu said the works would be awarded to the selected company within a week of the internal meeting of the officials. “We will do a comprehensive study of the firms concerned and award the tender to the best bidder. The construction work is likely to commence by the end of this month and is targeted to be completed by 2020-end,” Ram said.

The architectural design of the G+1 building has been prepared by Bangalore-based company Flying Elephant, while the engineers of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Patna vetted the design on several factors, such as location, soil quality and seismic zone classification. The design was passed in December 2018 by the state science and technology (S & T) department.

The building with state-of-the-art technology would come up in 30,000 square metres area on 15 acres of land near the Moinul Haq Stadium in Rajendra Nagar with an estimated cost of Rs350 crore. The project was conceptualized in 2012 by CM Nitish Kumar with the aim of promoting and popularizing science among people as well as demonstrating and preserving the illustrious history of scientific development in Bihar.

The proposed Science City building would have four galleries -- ‘Body and Mind’, ‘Space and Astronomy’, ‘Basic Sciences’ and ‘Sustainable Planet’. It would also have four learning suites — ‘Maker Space’, ‘Big Data Centre’, ‘Kitchen’ And ‘Gym’ — on first floor. Apart from that, a dormitory would also be constructed on the first floor, especially for schoolchildren who want to stay during the study tour or excursion. The dormitory to accommodate 250-odd kids would be connected to the learning suites.

Meanwhile, the S & T has shortlisted 200-odd exhibits for the upcoming Science City. Tenders for the exhibits are likely to be floated by March.