Nagpur: Railway Station in Nagpur on Wednesday the April 13 went special as a very special train hit the tracks of Platform No 8. The Science Express-Climate Action Special (SECAS) arrived in the city on Wednesday morning. Soon after its arrival, the Additional Chief Secretary of Environment Department Malini Shankar cut the ribbon to mark inauguration of the Science Express as well as opening the gates to curious students of various schools who thronged the Railway Station in hundreds to have a feel of the special train. Other dignitaries present on the occasion include Divisional Commissioner Anup Kumar, Additional Commissioner Hemant Pawar, Zilla Parishad CEO Shivajirao Jondhale, Deputy Commissioner Appasaheb Dhulaj, Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Dange, Deputy Commissioner Kamalkishore Futane and citizens in large number.
“A golden opportunity for Nagpurians to know the finer points of climate change, remedial measures, innovation in science and technology to deal with climate change has arrived in the form of Science Express. The students, citizens, should avail the opportunity to the full,” said Malini Shankar.
The Science Express-Climate Action Special will be in the city from Wednesday morning to Friday evening. It will be stationed on Platform No. 8 and will be open for the public everyday from 10 am to 5 pm.
The train was flagged off on October 15, 2015 at Delhi’s Safdarjung Rail Station by Railway Minister Suresh Prabha and Minister of State for Environment Praksh Javadekar. On April 15, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will flag off the Science Express for its farther journey to the next destination. A large number of students and citizens are likely to visit the Science Express on April 14 and 15 being Ambedkar Jayanti and Ram Navami respectively.
On the inaugural day today, students of Narayana Vidyalaya, Pt Bachhraj Vyas Vidyalaya, School of Scholars, Centre Point School, K C Bajaj College, ZP High School, Nildoh, and Shankarlal Agrawal Science College, Gondia, were present. The train was decorated with colourful balloons and was a unique attraction.
The Science Express is an innovative mobile exhibition mounted on a specially designed 16 coach AC train, traveling across India. The train is a unique collaborative initiative of Department of Science & Technology and Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India to create widespread awareness on Climate Change, Water, Energy Conservation and related issues among various sections of the society, especially students.
In fact, students can even carry out experiments to understand basics of science in the ‘Joy of Science’ or JOS lab. This lab has been set up by the Vikram Sarabhai Community Science Centre (VASCSC) in collaboration with National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC), and the Department of Science and Technology. The train also has a kids’ zone exclusively for children below the age of 10 years.
There is scope for schoolteachers too to undergo special orientation training for teaching science and mathematics. Students waiting in the queue for their turn can participate in games, puzzles, demonstrations and quiz etc.
