Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday laid the foundation stone of a science city at Tepesia on the outskirts of Guwahati for popularising science and technology at the grassroots.
The science city, covering an area of 250 bighas of land and roads, drainage system, etc., will cost Rs 184 crore, said a statement issued from CMO.
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The main building of the science city will cost Rs 110 crore and will be built jointly by the National Council of Science Museums.
The Centre and the State government will share the total cost of the project in 90:10 ratio.
Chief minister Sonowal said that the 21st century is the age of science and technology and therefore, the young generation of the State must acquire knowledge in this field to become human resources of the highest quality.
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The State government is endeavouring to make Guwahati the gateway to the entire South East Asia and hence infrastructure is being developed in and around the city at a rapid pace, he added.
Asserting that the science city would also enhance the importance of Guwahati, Sonowal said the people who had to travel to places like Kolkata for visiting science cities would now be able to experience such a facility here itself.
In his speech, science and technology minister Keshab Mahanta termed the foundation-stone laying occasion of the science city a historic one.
He said that the previous governments did not provide the kind of budget to the science and technology department as was being done by the present government.
Mahanta also informed that steps have been taken to set up science centres in all the districts.
These science centres would be of equal standard as the Regional Science Centre in Guwahati.
He also said that necessary land has been made available for setting up an ISRO centre at Amingaon and that work on the Biotech Park covering an area of 64 bighas at Amingaon has already been completed.
Mahanta also said that efforts are being made to set up the proposed Assam Bio Research Centre near Madan Kamdev.