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More SCR trains to feature bio-toilets

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Staff Reporter – The Hindu HYDERABAD:, MAY 17, 2013

The bio-toilet costs about Rs.80,000 apiece and uses uses bacteria to decompose night soil. Authorities plan to install 200 of them in Padmavathi, Ajanta and other trains

After conducting a successful trial run of using bio-toilets in 17 coaches of Hyderabad-Mumbai and Kacheguda-Bangalore Express trains, the South Central Railway (SCR) has now decided to install 200 bio-toilets in a few more trains very shortly.

Bacterial decomposition

Developed by Railway Research and Standard Organisation (RDSO) and Defence Research Development Establishment (DRDE), a bio-toilet, has six compartments and uses Inoculums (bacteria) to decompose night soil.

The night soil from commode enters into the bio-tank, where the inoculums are stored and gets decomposed by the bacteria. The decomposed human soil will next enter into chlorine tank and to get purified. Finally, the out put will be water and gas, said SCR spokesperson.

Onerous task of hygiene

Maintaining cleanliness at railway stations, especially the tracks at stations is always a task. Conventional toilets in trains discharge night soil onto the track, causing unhygienic conditions and corrosion to track and coach fittings, he said.

But with simple design and easier installation in coaches, these bio-toilets help in ensuring zero discharge of night soil on the tracks. SCR had commenced a trail run of using these bio toilets in Hyderabad-Mumbai and Kacheguda-Bangalore Express trains in January and it was found beneficial, he informed.

Each bio-toilet costs about Rs.80,000 and authorities are planning to install 200 of them in Padmavathi, Ajanta and other trains in a few months, he explained.

Bio-toilets with provision to replenish inoculums and chlorine are easy to maintain.

However, these toilets would get choked, if passengers dump bottles, plastic carry bags, cups, napkins etc into it via commode. It would choke the toilet, making it unusable, he added.

Drdo

DRDO Pulled Temple Rath on ‘Inspiration’ Bullock Power

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By Pradip Kumar
Published: 08th Feb 2015 05:57:37 AM – The Sunday Standard
NEW DELHI: It’s a bullock-load of inspiration pushing technology. DRDO’s controversial Rs 5 crore expenditure on a silver chariot for a religious Rath Yatra, was an “inspired” decision to save the chariot bullock from carrying the burden, India’s premier defence technology developer has said in a revealing internal communication.

In response to a question raised by two parliamentarian in the LS for seeking details of DRDO’s spending on a chariot for a temple in Zero hour during last session, the RD&E, Pune laboratory, which manufactured this chariot claims in the last week that ‘making of Rath was not just a devotional activity but also an interesting technical task.’ They went into saying that Chariot became a reason and inspiration for technology development.
RDO claims they only spend Rs 17 lack from its budget and rest of amount came as donation from devotees.
DRDO initiated the project after the bullock pulling the Rath died in front of the DRDO laboratory. Interestingly, the DRDO believes that the expenditure on the “battery-operated Rath” which was donated to a Pune temple after the temple’s Rath puller, a bullock, died, presumably because of carrying heavy burden, was not a religious activity or waste of public money but a technological wonder which can solve the problem of “transporting heavy burden in difficult terrains.”

S. Guruprasad, Director of Research and Development Establishment Labrotary, Pune(R&DE), which manufactured the chariot, has written to the DRDO headquarters in response to matter raised in the Lok Sabha during the zero hour by two members. In a four page official communication dated January 27, 2015 (seen by The Sunday Standard), Guruprasad, while defending his decision said that ‘the making of Rath (chariot) was not just a devotional activity, but also an interesting technical task. Apart from saving the bullock the burden, there were technology developments of immense value directly as a result of this engagement’.

Explaining the technology used for developing the battery-operated chariot, DRDO said that the battery power is drawn when going uphill, and the battery gets charged while downhill. “The technology hence developed has a defense application. The trailer-based system can be taken to difficult terrain which is currently no possible…The social significance of the design concept and technology especially for the burdened bullock carts are immense,” Director explained.

He said, ‘Even, if the chariot was not built, the technology development involves building lab prototypes, many times, a number of them until desired results are obtained. In this case, the chariot became a reason and ‘inspiration’ for technology development. The expenditure would have happened anyway for technology development.”

Shiv Sena MP from Nasik Hemant Tukaram Godse and a MP from Patiala Dharam Veer Ghandhi of AAP had asked on December 18, 2014, about ‘gifting of chariot to Alandi temple out of DRDO fund. DRDO maintained that the approximate cost of the technology of Rs 20 lakh was sanctioned from the financial powers of the Laboratory Director under “build up revenue” and rest of the money came from devotees, who approached R&DE for doing the decorative work to the convert the trailer into a Rath. In the end, Guruprasad has written that after the Yatra of 2014(June, 2014), the chariot is under the custody of R&DE and in the inventory of the laboratory.

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Results of DMSRDE, DRDO, Kanpur – Swachh Bharat Campaign on Prime Minister’s Call

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Website published 3rd September 2014 few glimpse of DMSRDE swachhta scenario. Congratulation to Dr A K Saxena he took the task  with enthusiasm and did some shiny strokes. God will give him same courage to do science without corruption, without Mangalam Traders, without ? ? ?

Best of luck for Swachhta Shapataha 25th September to 2nd October 2014

dmsrde toilet2

 

Drdo

Chinks in the Armour – What ail DRDO, India’s Premier Defence Organigation?

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Rediff.com – News-Special Part- IV

The DRDO has succeeded with missiles, but…

George Iype

In May 1998, the DRDO and its chief Dr A P J Abdul Kalam became symbols of national pride thanks to the nuclear tests. DRDO’s expertise in explosives and related technologies, and in systems engineering and integration was the key to the five devices tested by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

Four months after the event, the government entrusted DRDO with a Rs 20 billion ballistic missile defence project. This is perhaps the most ambitious programme that DRDO has embarked upon. It would need to integrate the Russian-made anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missile systems, which the army and air force are planning to induct, with an Israeli fire control radar.

The project, along with the Integrated Guided Missile Development programme and the nuclear submarine programme that DRDO has engaged in over the years, is meant to lay India’s foundation of strategic missile programme and security stability.

But given DRDO’s track record in the IGMD and nuclear submarine programme, not many believe the new ballistic project could come out with flying colours, that too in time.

It is not that DRDO’s missile mission has not taken India to the rarefied heights of missile power. “If there is one area in which DRDO has succeeded with a certain degree of success, it is in missiles,” says Prakash Nanda, a security expert in Bangalore who is currently writing a book on the subject.

“Agni, Prithvi, Akash, Trishul and Nag. All these missiles have made us proud. But the problem is that though a number of flight tests of these missiles have been successfully carried out, DRDO has been unable to induct some of them into the forces,” he says.

For instance, for the last 16 years, DRDO has been building two types of anti-aircraft missiles — Trishul and Akash. According to the government’s defence plans, these surface-to-air missiles were to have replaced the Russian-supplied OSA-AK and Kvadrat systems by early 1990s. But DRDO has been unable to meet the deadlines.

To be specific, the Trishul project began in 1983. The original deadline was 1992. DRDO has spent more than Rs 2.6 billion on the missile, but it is still undergoing trials. Official sources say the major problem with Trishul is that the missile’s command guidance does not work.

Hence, though the defence ministry has entrusted DRDO with the Rs 20 billion project, it is not confident that the agency will accomplish its task in time.

“The anti-ballistic missile programme will languish like the nuclear submarine project, which DRDO has been working on for years now,” a ministry official comments wryly.

Fifteen years ago, the nuclear submarine programme was billed as India’s key to second strike capability after enunciation of the no-first use policy. But after spending millions of rupees, the naval headquarters is now demanding a technical audit of the Advanced Technology Vehicle project, as it is formally known.

The design and development of the nuclear submarine is a joint project of DRDO, the Department of Atomic Energy and the Indian navy. The DRDO, DAE and navy together have spent a whopping total of Rs 20 billion on the ATV — on its design drawings from Russia, civilian construction work, establishing test beds and testing facilities on the east coast and procurement of related equipment.

DRDO sources say the land-based prototype testing facility of the submarine reactor has been completed successfully and a training facility to familiarise with the nuclear submarine’s power plant has also been set up. The submarine’s power plant would use enriched uranium as reactor fuel.

But years after the ATV project was mooted, the submarine’s keel is yet to be laid because DRDO has been unable to decide on its construction design.

Drdo

Tejas project gets wings again under new DRDO chief

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By Anantha Krishnan M | ENS – BANGALORE 01st June 2013 12:33 PM                 – THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESSavinash The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) new boss Dr Avinash Chander has put India’s fighter jet project Tejas on his radar, with a possible mission to jettison it out of the current turbulence. In an interview to Express on Friday, soon after New Delhi officially handed over the mandate to pilot DRDO for the next three years, Avinash said that completing the Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) of Tejas by September this year and attaining the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) by the end of 2014, are two primary targets he has already set. “After finishing the taking over formalities, I am catching the first available flight to Bangalore to review the project. I am absolutely aware of the issues that are dogging the project and I would now want to see it from close quarters, what the delays are. The Tejas’ IOC and FOC cannot be postponed any further,” said Avinash, who will also double up as the Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister. He said the induction of India’s long-range ballistic missile Agni-V and development of 155-mm gun are other projects that would get his immediate attention. Saying that his task is cut out with many projects reeling under time overruns, Avinash promised to turn around DRDO into a delivery-oriented unit. “There are grey areas still, despite our efforts to stick to the deadline. We are lagging behind in directive energy systems such as high-energy electro-magnetic lasers. We also need to gear up on the materials front,” said the missile scientist. We have proven our abilities with multiple missile programmes and we need to emulate the same in other projects as well,” said the 62-and-a-half-year-old DRDO chief. He said DRDO will be restructured to catch up with the challenges of modern times. “I will take everything one step at a time. I am aware that we need to create the ‘Brand DRDO’ image,” he said It will be a collective team effort. The idea is to take DRDO to the next level. I will ensure that the confidence of users in DRDO will be always high, Avinash said. Incidentally, Avinash will be the second man after former president Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, who will serve as the DRDO chief beyond 65 years.