At Pushpa Gujral Science City, near Kapurthala, work on the Renewable Energy Education Park is underway. It will be completed by this month.

Dr R. Sharma, Director, says the Ministry of Non-Conventional Resources has provided funds for the energy park and technical assistance is from the Punjab Energy Development Agency. The park is being set up with an investment of Rs 1.75 crore.

Gadgets are being installed to impart training to students and visitors. The park will have solar power plant of 20 KW, solar water plant, solar streetlights, hydel centre for displaying various turbines, solar home, solar restaurant for exhibiting solar cookers and heaters and a 60-foot-high windmill.

However, for children a mini toy train that runs on solar energy, battery-operated cars and cycles, power generating drum and energy slip will be the added attractions.

Dr Sharma says everyday nearly 1,000 visitors, especially students, are visiting the science city. Spread over 72 acres, the science city opens from 9am to 7pm from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays and Sundays the visiting hours are from 9am to 9pm.

Regarding the future expansion plans, he says four new galleries — the Science of Sports, the Ecology and Environment, the Health and Biotechnology and the Emerging Technologies — will be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore by March 2008.

The Gallery on Science of Sports will include virtual reality sport shows on cricket, tennis, football, etc, where visitors would enjoy the excitement and challenge of their favorite sports without ever having to set foot on a playing surface and investigate the mechanics of sport around an indoor field. A rock climbing facility will also set up in the gallery.

The Ecology and Environment Gallery would attempt to highlight issues such as global warming and pollution, identifying ways and means to mitigate their adverse effects with the help of models, dioramas, information panels and interactive computer-based programmes with touch screen facilities and plasma display panels.

A special theatre will be constructed, Object Theatre, showing programmes on effects of climate change and global warming.

This show will create awareness regarding the causes of global warming, about its adverse effects and how to prevent the climate change in a unique manner with the use of film projection and objects.

The Ministry of Railways has approved to set up a railway gallery in the science city. The gallery will have a steam engine and engine simulators.

The Indian Meteorological Department has installed an automatic weather station linked to the Satellite Kalpana. This will be followed by setting up a satellite receiving station and weather forecasting information system.

In collaboration with the Philatelic Congress of Punjab, the science city will be displaying stamps on scientific subjects as a permanent feature. The stamps would be on scientists, scientific institutions, birds, animals and other related areas. The stamps would be periodically changed.

The science city has launched a totally computer-based learning system for physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology from Class 1 to XII. It would be possible to teach any of these subjects — on demand for any class.

On the demand from the schools and colleges to strengthen the botany-related exhibits, the science city has taken a number of steps.

A herbal garden which will have over 90 medicinal and aromatic plants has been set up. One part of the science city will also have trees of Punjab, which have cultural value.

The assortment of exhibits spanning various disciplines in the science city are basically incubators of scientific knowledge and the emphasis is more on hands-on exploratory learning rather than the formal text-based approach.

Through innovative science exhibits, which stress aspects of everyday life.

The Air Force has also allocated one decommissioned MIG 23 for display.

“A dinosaur park is also being set up in an island surrounded by a water body. Indian dinosaurs will be displayed specifically and we are going to get 45 models of dinosaurs shortly,” Mr Sharma adds.

It was just homecoming for Mr Ashok Kumar, who took charge from Mr Subash Kumar Ghosh as Station Superintendent at the Jalandhar railway station on Tuesday, as he belongs to Jalandhar itself.

Talking to The Tribune, Mr Kumar said he would work for further betterment of the Jalandhar railway station so that more facilities could be provided to railway passengers.

However, he refused to divulge the information about what steps he would take to give the station a new look and what new facilities he would start to the passengers. To a query, he merely said he would work for the betterment according to the situation after holding a meeting with his subordinate staff.

In reply to a question about the regular problems being faced by the persons for getting their tickets reserved due to technical fault in the computer system, he said this type of problem occurred almost at every railway station. At the same time, he said he would see what he could do to minimise the problem.

Working with the railway since 1979, Mr Kumar has been transferred from the Ludhiana railway station where he served as station superintendent for about four years.

Prior to Ludhiana, he had also been posted at Phagwara, Dhandari Kalan, Hoshiarpur and Ferozepore cantonment railway stations.

On Tuesday, he was warmly welcomed by the railway staff and his Jalandhar-based old friends and relatives.

Interestingly, cricketer-turned-anchor-turned-politician Navjot Sidhu also boarded the same train and alighted at the Jalandhar railway station for taking part in some programmes in the city.

BJP leaders and workers were standing on platform one for welcoming Mr Sidhu, whereas the railway staff was also waiting anxiously for Mr Kumar.

When the train halted at the station, the admirers of both of them confused a bit for some seconds and some of BJP workers went to welcome Mr Kumar and some rail employees went towards Mr Sidhu in confusion. However, the confusion ended within a few seconds.

Within minutes after reaching at the station, he was taken to Station Superintendent’s office where he formally took charge from outgoing Station Superintendent.

Within minutes after reaching at the station, he was taken to Station Superintendent’s office where he formally took charge from Mr Ghosh, who worked on this post since September 4, 2002. Surprisingly, Mr Ghosh has been shifted as Chief Yards Master at Jalandhar itself.

Grooming the young speakers as confident orators, students of Mayor World School participated in a poetry recitation contest and “Just a Minute” session.

A story-telling contest was organised at Seth Hukum Chand SD Public Senior Secondary School. Tanya Tanvir and Danika of nursery, Bhav Puri, Sadigdh Budhia and Prachi Arya of LKG, Gurleen, Akhil and Chandan of UKG got the first, second and third prizes, respectively, in their classes.