Amitabh Sinha Three decades after it set up a permanent base in Antarctica, India plans one not very far from the North Pole NEW DELHI, JUNE 22: Three decades after it set up base in Antarctica, India will have a home on the other extreme of the globe when a permanent research station is inaugurated in the Arctic later this month. This research station is being set up tantalisingly close to the North Pole, at Ny-Alesund, on the west coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island in the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. Just 1,200 km from the North Pole, Ny-Alesund is the northernmost permanent human settlement on the globe, comprising scientists carrying out research in one of the most pristine environments on earth. The research base, which will be inaugurated by Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal during an international symposium being organised in Ny-Alesund from June 30 to July 2, is being set up by the Goa-based National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCOAR). India's research team will carry out a number of experiments in the region, most notably on issues related to climate change. "This is a wonderful beginning in the Arctic. The polar regions are ideal for a number of experiments. Since we already have a couple of permanent stations in Antarctica, a research base in the Arctic will give our scientists a wealth of data to study issues like global warming and climate change,' Sibal told The Indian Express. The setting up of the permanent base follows two expeditions by Indian scientists to Ny-Alesund in the last one year. India's Arctic programme started in August last year with the flagging off of the first-ever scientific expedition to the region. That team, comprising four scientists and led by NCAOR Director Rasik Ravindra, carried out studies in the region for four weeks. Another team of seven scientists led by Prof A K Gwal of Barkatullah University, Bhopal, spent four weeks in Ny-Alesund in March this year. Encouraging results of these studies resulted in the decision to set up a permanent base to undertake long-term projects. This base would initially be manned by Indian scientists on a project-to-project basis and later on converted into a round-the-year station, as the ones in Antarctica. India will become the 11th country in the world to have a research station in Ny-Alesund, the others being Norway, Germany, Britain, Italy, France, Japan, South Korea, China, the Netherlands and Sweden. All these stations are owned by a Norwegian public company, Kings Bay AS, which owns and operates Ny-Alesund. Apart from providing services like food, electricity and water, Kings Bay is responsible for maintaining buildings and roads, disposal of waste and sewage and operation of essential amenities like the post office. Buildings for setting up a research station have to be leased from the company. Two-third of Ny-Alesund, which is spread over 63,000 sq km, is permanently under ice, but the climate is mild in comparison to other areas so near the North Pole. The mean temperature in the coldest month of February is minus 14 degrees while in the warmest month of July, it is 5 degrees Centigrade. Owing to almost zero pollution, Arctic is generally considered by scientists to be better than Antarctica for a wide range of research activities. Antarctica has hosted hundreds of scientists for years now and even attracts some tourists, leading to concerns that problems like pollution would soon catch up with the southernmost continent. India has one operational station in Antarctica, called Maitri, and is in the process of setting up another this year. India's first permanent station in Antarctica, Dakshin Gangotri, was set up in 1981.