# Cochin Children’s Science Park: How It Came About > Cochin Children’s Science Park, about a kilometre south of the NAD Road signal, was thrown open by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in 2015 on 5.25 acres of land provided by KINFRA. KINFRA’s newsletter described it as Kochi’s first science park for children. Its exhibits came from MP funds, a corporate sponsor and a public-sector company, with the municipality adding gardens and play areas. Several details, including the exact opening date and the current operator, are not clear in public sources, and this page says so. - URL: https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/cochin-childrens-science-park-history/ - Publisher: Ashraf Gents Hostel, Ashraf house, NAD Rd, signal, Kalamassery, Aluva, Kerala 683563, India (+91 90746 23855) - Published: 2026-10-08 · Updated: 2026-10-08 - Topic: History & archive - Cite as: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “Cochin Children’s Science Park: How It Came About.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/cochin-childrens-science-park-history/ ## Key facts - KINFRA’s November 2015 newsletter reported that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had opened Cochin Children’s Science Park, described as Kochi’s first science park for children. - According to KINFRA, the park was set up on 5.25 acres of land provided by KINFRA Park. - The park’s ‘Thrillerium’ was built with ₹1.5 crore from the MPLADS funds of P. Rajeeve (then a former MP), H. K. Dua and Ashok S. Ganguly, according to KINFRA. - KINFRA reported that the musical dance fountain was sponsored by the Lulu Group and a simulator theatre was set up by BPCL. - OpenStreetMap places the park about 990 m south of the NAD Road signal. ## The opening, as KINFRA reported it The clearest primary record we found is **KINFRA News**, the monthly newsletter of the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation, in its **November 2015** issue. It reported that Chief Minister **Oommen Chandy** had “thrown open to the public Kochi’s first Science Park for children, **Cochin Children’s Science Park**, at Kalamassery”. The newsletter does not give the exact day of the function, and we have not found a news report that does, so this page dates the opening to **2015** and no more precisely. According to the newsletter, Public Works Minister **V. K. Ebrahimkunju** presided. Those present included former MP **P. Rajeeve**, **Benny Behanan** MLA, Kalamassery Municipal Chairman **Jamal Manakkadan** and KINFRA Managing Director **Dr. G. C. Gopala Pillai**. KINFRA reported the Chief Minister as saying the park was the result of joint effort “cutting across political barriers”. ## Who paid for what The park was built from several pieces rather than by a single agency, and KINFRA’s report lists them: - **Land:** 5.25 acres provided by KINFRA Park. The Chief Minister said the government would consider buying the land from KINFRA at market value; we found no later record of whether it did. - **Thrillerium:** ₹1.5 crore from the MPLADS funds of former MP P. Rajeeve and MPs H. K. Dua and Ashok S. Ganguly. - **Musical dance fountain:** sponsored by the Lulu Group. - **Simulator theatre:** set up by BPCL. - **Children’s park, playground, butterfly garden and pathways:** set up by Kalamassery Municipality. - **Under construction in 2015:** an aquarium, a science library and a science pavilion. The Chief Minister also said the adjacent lake would be added with pedal boating. ## Timeline | Date | What happened | Source | |---|---|---| | 2015 (reported Nov 2015) | Park opened by CM Oommen Chandy on 5.25 acres of KINFRA land | KINFRA News, November 2015 | | 2015 | Aquarium, science library and science pavilion reported as under construction | KINFRA News, November 2015 | | Undated (current listing) | Municipality lists butterfly garden, play structures, science exhibits, 8D theatre and evening musical fountain | Kalamassery Municipality tourism page | | As of Oct 2026 | Municipality notes some facilities are at times unavailable for maintenance and opening hours vary | Kalamassery Municipality tourism page | ## What happened afterwards: what we know and don’t Kalamassery Municipality’s tourism page now lists a **butterfly garden, children’s play structures, science exhibits, an 8D theatre and an evening musical fountain show**. It notes that some facilities are at times closed for maintenance and that published hours vary. The 8D theatre may be the later form of the 2015 simulator theatre, but no source says so, so we have not linked them. We could not confirm three things: whether the aquarium, science library, science pavilion or lake boating promised in 2015 were finished; who runs the park day to day as of October 2026; and whether any formal renovation has taken place since the opening. The municipality’s page lists contact numbers but no operating body. If you know of an official source, it would fill a real gap in this record. > The municipality’s page says the park is about 450 m from Kalamassery railway station, but OpenStreetMap places it on the KINFRA side, roughly 3 km east of the station. Our [visitor’s guide](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/cochin-childrens-science-park-kalamassery/) explains how to find it. ## Why it matters near the NAD signal The park sits between the [KINFRA Hi-Tech Park](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kinfra-hi-tech-park-history/) and the [Government Medical College](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/govt-medical-college-ernakulam-history/), and its land is one more example of how KINFRA’s Kalamassery holdings were put to different uses. It is also one of the landmarks Ashraf Gents Hostel’s public profile lists as within about 3 km. It makes an easy evening out when family visits a resident. See also [The Science Park at Kalamassery](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/science-park-kalamassery/) and the [Kalamassery history archive](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-history-archive/). ## Frequently asked questions **When did Cochin Children’s Science Park open?** In 2015. KINFRA’s November 2015 newsletter reported that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had thrown it open; we did not find the exact day. **Whose land is the park on?** KINFRA reported that the park was set up on 5.25 acres of land provided by KINFRA Park. The government said it would consider buying the land at market value; we found no record of the outcome. **Who paid for the exhibits?** According to KINFRA, the Thrillerium used ₹1.5 crore of MPLADS funds from three MPs, the Lulu Group sponsored the musical fountain, BPCL set up a simulator theatre, and the municipality built the gardens and play areas. **Who runs the park now?** Public sources we checked do not clearly name the current operator. Kalamassery Municipality lists the park and its contact numbers on its tourism page. **How far is it from the NAD Road signal?** About 990 m south, according to OpenStreetMap. ## Sources - [KINFRA News, November 2015 (PDF)](https://kinfra.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/November-2015.pdf) - [Kalamassery Municipality: Cochin Children’s Science Park](https://kalamasserymunicipality.lsgkerala.gov.in/en/node/104) - [OpenStreetMap: Cochin Children’s Science Park](https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/798770268) - [Wikipedia: Oommen Chandy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oommen_Chandy) --- Facts about Ashraf Gents Hostel come from the hostel’s own profile, photos and Google Site; rates are indicative and confirmed on the call. Quoting with a link back to the URL above is welcome.