Mangaluru: The state budget presented by chief minister Siddaramaiah has given hope that the country’s first 3D planetarium, the Swami Vivekananda 3D Planetarium at Dr Shivaram Karanth Biological Park, Pilikula, is all set for inauguration soon.

On Friday, the chief minister said while announcing the budget: “It was decided to establish five planetariums, and out of them, the state-of-the-art planetarium at Pilikula is being operationalized this month.

The initiative of mobile planetariums has been undertaken, and it has been a great success.”

A source working on the Swami Vivekananda 3D Planetarium said everything has been set up for the planetarium, and that a trial run for the same is on, and that it may be inaugurated on March 1.

“Officials and political representatives were wishing that it should have been inaugurated by the chief minister himself. As he has expressed his inability to come down for the same, due to his hectic schedule, it may be done by a local leader, and is tentatively scheduled for March 1,” the source added.

Work on the planetarium commenced in 2014 with an allocation of Rs 22.5 crore. Currently, the cost has gone up to Rs 36.5 crore. A five-year maintenance contract will be given to a USA-based company, which is supplying technologies for the planetarium.