RANCHI: The Jharkhand Council of Science and Technology (JCST) would build three planetariums in Ranchi, Deoghar and Dumka as part of the state government's ambitious 'hybrid planetariums' project. Chief minister Raghubar Das is soon expected to lay the foundations of the planetariums, to be completed by July 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 62 crore.The planetariums with dome shaped ceilings will have interactive exhibition on astronomy and space science, amateur astronomical club, sky watch, astronomy gallery among others, sources said. The planetarium at the Ranchi Science Centre premises at Chirondi village here will have seating capacity for 160 people while those in Dumka and Deoghar would house 45 people."We had started the projects in March 2015 and expect to complete them on time. Even though we have science centres in the state capital, the purpose behind the planetariums is to generate awareness about celestial bodies among our students," JCST member secretary A K Singh said. He added that the planetariums in Ranchi and Deoghar would be completed by July 18 next year. "We expect to complete the work of Dumka planetarium by November 2018," Singh said.

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