Science parks in disarray

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Science Parks at Periyar Science and Technology Centre, Kotturpuram, are meant to teach scientific concepts through playing equipment.

But the equipment here are poorly maintained and almost all, such as the variable pendulum, action reaction and centrifugal force, are in disuse.

There are two Science Parks at the Centre but both have only a couple of see-saws and swings that attract kids who visit the Sky Theatre at Birla Planetarium and also a 3-D science picture.

“The planets, the moon and the sun are amazing and also the 3-D picture featuring dinosaurs and a mad scientist are a delight to watch.

The centre is really amazing with a lot of scientific information, but the two Science Parks are poorly maintained.

However, the Traffic Park is worth visiting,” said Mr Ganesan, who came with his grandchildren.

More than 1000 visitors, mostly children, visit the planetarium daily and the peak period is between January and March.

Though descriptive plates define the play equipment and its usage, they hardly work.

As the campus is located in a densely wooded area, couples prefer staying in the parks and even at the galleries for hours together.

A security guard pointed out that at least four to five couples visited the Centre daily. “They buy tickets for watching shows as there is no separate ticket for parks and galleries.

It’s a big headache for us to send them away from the parks,” the security guard said, adding that during weekends at least 10 couples sat in the park romancing for hours together.

When contacted, Dr P. Iyamperumal, executive director of B.M. Birla Planetarium said they have placed orders for equipment.

“We’re replacing some equipment and are also planning to install more play equipment parallel to Traffic Park.

Energy Park, which educates children on solar and wind energy and also on renewable energy sources, will be opened in the last week of August,” Dr Iyamperumal said, adding, “It’s a big problem with couples as they sit for hours inside the campus. But we’ve started issuing tickets that are valid only for two hours.”