Trichy Corporation’s science park at Thennur has been a crowd puller ever since its opening one month ago. Tapping this, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board along with the civic body is planning to set up an exhibition hall at an estimated cost of Rs 10 lakh at the first edutainment facility in the city. The hall would come up in the north-west portion of the 2.62 acre park to hold awareness programmes including short films for students.For its residents and visitors, Trichy that spans 167sqkm lacks avenues to spend leisure time except for a few multiplexes and seasonal exhibitions. It was in this backdrop that the Trichy Corporation planned to set up the park for children with science as the theme at an estimated cost of Rs 2.14 crore under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). The work on the park that commenced in late 2016 was concluded by the civic body in May 2018. The site of the park at Thennur opposite to the Ukkira Kaliamman temple was once used as a parking space when political meetings were organised in the nearby Uzhavar Sandhai ground. Touted as an infotainment tool in hosting science exhibitions, the park was opened in June 2018.A month after the inauguration, it is estimated that around 500 people visit the facility on weekdays and double the crowd during weekends. "The science park is an educative tool, and it is inexpensive to spend quality time with family as it is located close to Ukkira Kaliamman temple. Science models at the park should have Tamil descriptions," S Ashok Sundaresan, a visitor said.TNPCB will be funding Rs 10 lakh towards establishing the 5,000 square feet hall. "To create awareness among children about environmental pollution through video and audio systems, the hall will have facility to host open-air meetings. Tender has been floated and the work may start in a month," an official with Trichy Corporation said. Officials said that TNPCB has appointed a consultant to design the proposed exhibition hall which is expected to be ready by the year end. Besides the exhibition hall, the corporation has also plan to set up a canteen inside the facility.At present, the park has a hall of science building to learn science models through exhibits, a life science park with replicas of dinosaurs, energy park, mini amphitheatre, and multiple fountains with pedestrian pathway. As the civic body finding it difficult to manage the heavy crowd during weekends, it may consider charging a minimal sum as entry ticket to ensure the safety of the apparatus inside, said an official.

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