City corpn to set up STEM park at Saravanampatti

Coimbatore: The city corporation is planning to develop a STEM park at Saravanampatti to kindle scientific temper among students.Corporation commissioner M Prathap said they were preparing a proposal for the project with a cost estimate. The proposal would be tabled in the next council meeting for the approval of councillors, he said.“We have identified a suitable place for the park at Saravanampatti. It will come up in a parcel of open space reservation land. While 10 acres is available, the project will take up only two acres,” he said.Prathap said the park would house experiment models in the field of science, technology, mathematics and engineering. “It will also feature a smart classroom, where concepts will be presented in an easy-to-understand manner.”Another official said the facility would be entirely different from the science park that the city corporation set up near the powerhouse on Alagappa Chettiar Road.“The upcoming facility will have a normal park with science experiments that are interactive and operated by children. It will feature working models of automobiles, gaming devices explaining geometrical shapes and real-time models of physics theorems mentioned in the school textbooks. The facility will benefit thousands of students,” he said.Saravanampatti is a rapidly growing area, thanks to the proliferation of IT companies and residential settlements.While the residents welcome projects like this, they are concerned about the civic body’s lackadaisical attitude in maintaining them in good shape.“A few equipment installed at the science park on Alagappa Chettiar Road, which was revived at a cost of 50 lakh two months ago, are already broken. Close monitoring and maintenance are required,” K Selvakumar, a local resident, said.