Rename Lucknow planetarium, science city after astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla: RLD leader

Lucknow, Aug 23 (PTI) On the occasion of National Space Day on Saturday, RLD state general secretary Ankur Saxena demanded that the Indira Gandhi Planetarium and the Regional Science City in Lucknow be renamed after IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently became the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS).

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) is a constituent of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

In a letter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Saxena said, “It is well known that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a resident of Lucknow, recently returned after travelling to the International Space Station, becoming the first Indian to do so.

“He was a part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission to the ISS from June 25 to July 15. Shukla’s journey not only showed India's rise in the field of space science but also reflected unlimited possibilities in space research for the youth who consider Shukla as their role model.” “Since Shukla is from Lucknow, renaming the Indira Gandhi Planetarium and the Regional Science City after him will be a great honour for the people of the state who will always be grateful to you (Yogi Adityanath),” he added.

Naming the institutes after Shukla will “increase the attraction of children towards science and space, which will later make India a true and formidable space power in the world”.

When contacted, state minister for science and technology, Anil Kumar, who is also from the RLD, told PTI, “Once this matter comes to my knowledge, we will examine all the aspects and then take a decision accordingly." Shukla was part of the Axiom-4 private space mission that lifted off from Florida on June 25 and docked at the International Space Station on June 26.

He returned to Earth on July 15. Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with Shukla on June 29 in the initial days of the Axiom-4 mission.

The foundation stone for the Saturn-shaped Indira Gandhi Planetarium was laid on February 28, 1988, by then chief minister Veer Bahadur Singh.

Mayawati, the chief minister of the time, inaugurated the planetarium on May 8, 2003.

The spherical building of the planetarium with a diameter of 21 metres rests on a platform, which has been specially designed to give an idea of crater formation on celestial bodies.

The Regional Science City is one of the satellite units of the National Science Centre.

Set up as the Regional Science Centre, it was upgraded to Regional Science City and inaugurated on September 21, 2007.

It is a pioneering institute engaged in the popularisation of science in Uttar Pradesh. PTI NAV ARI ARI