7 months ago
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Nine years and an expenditure of ₹20.08 crore later, the authorities has been incapable to unfastened a abstraction theatre astatine Kerala Science City, Kottayam, and a planetarium gathering astatine Regional Science Centre, Chalakudy.
Construction of some structures remains incomplete, according to a latest study of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the play ended March 2023.
The study is scathing of the Kerala State Science and Technology Museum (KSSTM), an autonomous instauration nether the government. Lack of coordination successful executing works and lack of effectual monitoring resulted successful “infructuous expenditure of ₹15.03 crore connected 2 buildings and idle concern of ₹5.05 crore connected equipment,” says the report.
Administrative authorisation was accorded for the 2 projects for ₹28 crore. Habitat Technology Group was the architectural and structural advisor for the abstraction theatre and liable for the operation of the planetarium.
The operation of the abstraction theatre, which comprises a planetarium and a abstraction gallery, could not beryllium completed arsenic micro-concreting connected the headdress brim (it protects the exposed information of a gathering from the elements) could not beryllium executed. Proposal of an alternate worldly did not get approval. Other method issues besides cropped up. There was nary advancement successful the enactment from 2018 to 2019. It was besides recovered that contempt the operation coming to a standstill, the KSSTM proceeded with acquisition of a projection dome astatine a outgo of ₹1.87 crore.
An audit successful June 2022 revealed that the contractor did not person capable acquisition successful micro-concreting. In February 2023, erection of dome; installation of planetarium equipment, including projectors, interior were each pending completion.
In the planetarium gathering astatine Chalakudy, the audit recovered that the completion day had been extended aggregate times owing to plan change, alteration successful dome operation from horizontal to tilted, and support hold from KSSTM for revised design. After concreting, the dome operation was to beryllium plastered with cement mortar. However, the h2o proofing was done earlier plastering. In 2019, determination was important h2o seepage done the operation joints of the dome. Acoustic panelling though awarded to Habitat was entrusted to different agency, incurring an other expenditure of ₹5.24 lakh. Though the plastering of dome was done successful October 2020 (three years aft the tract was handed over) and the gathering operation reported arsenic completed successful 2021, the dome leaked during rains that twelvemonth and could not beryllium opened. The dependable impervious materials wrong the planetarium were damaged owing to the seepage, and imported instrumentality specified arsenic the tilted dome and the projector were unused.
The audit study urged the authorities to hole work for the negligence connected the portion of the officials and instrumentality steps to operationalise the projects.
The contented was brought to the government’s attraction successful July past twelvemonth and reminders were sent successful September, but nary reply has been received, the study said.
When contacted, KSSTM manager P. Suresh Kumar said the Science City astatine Kottayam had been thrown unfastened to the public. Only the planetarium remained to beryllium opened. A lawsuit successful transportation with the planetarium instrumentality was nether Supreme Court consideration. Once the tribunal ruled connected the matter, the KSSTM could proceed with the work. The authorities was besides alert of the dome leakage astatine the Chalakudy planetarium. Steps were connected to code the problem. A gathering would beryllium held successful this transportation soon.
