The Regional Science Centre at Bhavanipuram, which functions under the Andhra Pradesh State Council for Science and Technology (APCOST), will be shut down for public viewing for the next three months to facilitate repairs to the exhibits that are damaged due to floods. Officials of the centre said that the record flood to the Krishna resulted in the water entering the building, causing extensive damage to the exhibits that demonstrate various scientific principles.
They had to seek help from the Fire and Emergency Services Department and fire tenders had to be pressed into service to clear the 6-feet deep water from the building.
Minister for Science and Technology Pedireddy Ramachandra Reddy visited the science centre on Monday and went around the building to assess the loss incurred on account of the flood fury.
The authorities told the Minister that the floods had caused serious damage to the power room, the battery back-up systems of the solar power system and the air-conditioning machinery. The total loss incurred by the science centre was estimated to be around Rs. 75 lakhs.
Mr. Ramachandra Reddy assured the authorities concerned that he would do the needful so as to bring back the science centre into the operation mode at the earliest. He also assured to discuss with the Minister for Social Welfare the possibility of making annual visit to the science centre mandatory for boarders and students of social welfare hostels and schools.
The officials said that all the exhibits were brought from the Birla Science Centre in Hyderabad. It would take a minimum of three months to repair the exhibits and the building before it could be re-opened for public visits.
Krishna Zilla Parishad Chairman K. Nageswara Rao, member secretary of APCOST Ch. Venkata Ramana Devi, Divisional Forest Officer Mohammed Thayyeb, Project Officers P.V. Subba Rao and C.V. Ramakrishna, Field Officers Ch. Hemanth Kumar, J.D. Rao, S. Srinivas Rao and others were present.
