From Chatrapur in Odisha, SECAS II next moved to Kottavalasa in Andhra Pradesh. It was welcomed by Shri G. Sumeet Hunas, Divisional Commercial Manager, Waltair Division, ECOR, along with other Railway officers. Shri A Ibraham Sheriff, Sr. DSC, RPF, Waltair division, ECOR, Ms. Kolla Lalitha Kumari, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), and Ms. P. Pradeepa, Judicial Magistrate, Kottavalasa, visited the exhibition train and appreciated the efforts of the team.
SECAS II exhibition was scheduled for four days at Kottavalasa. Although due to the ongoing summer vacation in the schools and colleges, the number of students visiting the exhibition train was low, yet the response from the general visitors was overwhelming. Altogether, in four days, more than 33,000 people visited SECAS II. A good number of children accompanied by their parents and guardians also came to see the exhibition.
At Kottavalasa, apart from seeing the exhibition, children also enthusiastically participated in the complementary activities of SECAS II in JOS Lab, Kids Zone and Platform Activity. A team from Palle Srujana, a voluntary organization, working as part of Honeybee network of National Innovation Foundation (NIF), extended support in conducting activities at the platform. They displayed standees and panels on innovations in Science and Technology at the platform. Voluntary support was also received from members of the Lions International Club and Gram Panchayat, Kottavalasa, as they provided drinking water to the visitors of SECAS II.
On 22 May, SECAS II team celebrated International Biodiversity Day by conducting different activities at the Platform and in JOS Lab. A documentary movie on ‘India’s Biodiversity across its Biogeographic Zones’, presentation on ‘Importance of International Biodiversity Day’ ‘Biodiversity and its Conservation’, ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism’, ‘Know your Flora’ etc., highlighting this year’s theme ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism’ etc. were held. The students enthusiastically participated in them. Besides, on 23 May, the team also celebrated World Turtle Day by conducting different activities at the Platform. A specials session on paper origami was conducted in which the children enjoyed making turtles with paper.
At Kottavalasa, SECAS II crossed 7.5 lakh total visitors. Besides, Science Express, cumulative of all its phases (Phase I-IX) crossed 16.4 million visitors’ mark, and JOS Lab crossed 4.5 lakh students’ participation, cumulative of all the phases of Science Express.
On the last day of the halt, SECAS II team along with the Station Manager of Kottavalasa, Sarpanch, Gram Panchayat, Kottavalasa, and Chairperson of Lions International Club, Kottavalasa, planted saplings in the railway station premises as a remembrance of SECAS II visit to Kottavalasa.
With this, the halt of SECAS II at Kottavalasa came to a successful end and the team packed up and made preparations for their departure to the next station - Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh.
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