"The project was not officially extended as the staff working on the project are not getting salary. Nor does the project director hold the position officially," said an official with the science and information and communication technology ministry.

The public relations officer of the ministry said the floods delayed the launch of Novo Theatre and the ministry could not fix a date for its inauguration.

The cost of the project was estimated at over Tk 120 crore, which was approved at a meeting of the Executive Committee of National Economic Council.

Equipment was imported from Japan, which added to the delay. Sources said the 3D cinema and the capsule ride simulator are not yet fixed.

The ministry also proposed a new name for Novo Theatre on an instruction from the Prime Minister's Office.

"Dhaka Modern Novo Theatre has been renamed Bhashani Novo Theatre. The name has been approved by the Prime Minister's Office, although it did not come in gazette notification," said an official close to the project.

The sources said Novo Theatre was remanded Bhashani Novo Theatre only to prevent other government changing the name of the national leader.

The proposal of Novo Theatre was prepared during the BNP rule in 1995. In 1996, the Awami League government renamed the project Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novo Theatre, beginning construction in Bijoy Sarani on July 17, 2000.

With the BNP coming back to power in 2001, the name of the project changed into Dhaka Modern Novo Theatre and the construction restarted in July 2002 with Masud & Co. as the constructor.

The Novo Theatre was planned to inform people, especially students, about the world of astronomy and space science.

The Novo Theatre has a 350-seat planetarium where people would be able to view planets and stars in an artificially created sky. An auditorium consists of 170 seats in the theatre area.

The three-storey building has been constructed for administrative work and different things will be exhibited to enhance knowledge of space and other disciplines of science.

To maintain the equilibrium with nature, three water retention bodies, fountains, a flower garden, garden lights and soothing landscape were also built there.