Title - Thousands throng R’kela to view Science Express

The fifth phase of Science Express, mounted on a customized 16 AC coaches, reached here on Saturday at 10 am. It had been flagged off on the World Environmental Day (June 5) at Delhi.

Rourkela Sub-Collector SB Mishra declared it open for public visit. Thousands of students, teachers and parents were anxiously waiting for it at the station.

Though it is the fifth phase of a science exhibition on wheels, but earlier, the first phase of the science express had only come to Rourkela in Odisha. That is why the crowd was very thick in station. This express will be stranded in Rourkela Railway Station till July 17 for public. No entry fee is taken for viewing the exhibition.

According to the organisers, the current phase will continue till December 22 and in between it would be reaching 52 locations of the country. Of the 16 coaches, eight are supported by the Union Ministry Environment and Forests, which are solely dedicated to showcasing the myriad biodiversity spread across the bio-geographical zones of India, including the trans-Himalayas and the Himalayas, the Gangetic plain, North East, the desert and semi-arid zone, the Western Ghats, the Deccan Peninsula, the coasts and islands. The exhibition also covers various other facets like marine, coastal, forest, microbial, agro biodiversity and their linkage with livelihoods, besides challenges of conservation.

One coach has an exhibition on climate change, biodiversity and water supported by HSBC, while another displays exhibits on climate change developed by Swiss Embassy and Nestle. A third one houses an exhibition on energy conservation supported by PCRA. The legacy of Science Express showcasing popular exhibits from the previous phases too has been exhibited in one coach.