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Tamil Nadu News Papers

A safety device and a solar bike

Tuesday, 21 January 2014 04:12
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The Hindu              21.01.2014

A safety device and a solar bike

Innovation on display:The solar bike (above) was one of 500-odd exhibits at the Southern India Science Fair —Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Innovation on display:The solar bike (above) was one of 500-odd exhibits at the Southern India Science Fair —Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

The recent atrocities against women in India prompted two class VIII students, S. Muskan and J. Srilekha from Kesava Reddy English School in Andhra Pradesh, to design a device to protect women.

Known as the ‘Nirbhaya Device’, it consists of gloves that can be worn by women, especially when they travel at night or alone. An electrical circuit embedded in the device will cause a mild jolt when the woman touches a person who tries to harass her. It also has a sensor to raise an alarm.

The total cost of making this device is only Rs. 100, said N. Rajesh Noone, a teacher who accompanied the two students.

This invention is part of the 500-odd exhibits at the five-day Southern India Science Fair, inaugurated at the Madras Christian College Higher Secondary School on Monday by K.C. Veeramani, minister for school education.

Over 220 participants from four southern states and a union territory have displayed their creations at the exhibition, organised jointly by the directorate of school education, Tamil Nadu and Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore.

Another invention that drew the attention of visitors was a solar bike made by R. Yogeshwar, a class X student from Petit Seminaire Higher Secondary School, Puducherry.

“I converted a cycle into a bike. I fixed a solar panel and a battery to the cycle. The solar power is converted into electricity and stored in the battery. The solar panel has to be charged for five hours and the bike will run for 15 kilometres,” he said. The bike can also be charged using electricity. The invention cost Rs. 9,000, Yogeshwar said.

Students also displayed innovations such as eco-friendly bio-fuel from chicken waste, automatic accident prevention systems and leak detection devices for water pipelines.

 

60,000 LED lights in extended Chennai areas

Monday, 20 January 2014 07:55
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Deccan Chronicle              20.01.2014 

60,000 LED lights in extended Chennai areas

Chennai: The most-neglected areas in the extended parts of Ch­ennai corporation will soon be lit by LED lights as the civic body is set to facilitate these areas with 60,000 LED (light emitting diode) stre­etlights.

Though the scheme was announced way back in 2012 year-end, the project is yet to take shape. However, sources at the corporation say that the installation of the 60,000 streetlights wo­u­ld be announced in the upcoming corporation cou­ncil meet this month.

The lights will come up at Tiruvottiyur, Manali, Mad­h­a­varam, Ambattur, Valas­aravakkam, Alandur, Peru­ngudi and the Sholi­nga­nallur zones that were ann­exed to the Chennai corporation.

“This scheme which comes under the second phase of implementation will focus on the extended regions. The first phase in­v­olves installing 13,000 str­eetlights, both sodium va­pour and LED lights, in the­se areas,” said a corporati­on official.

“The civic bo­dy’s aim is to replace all so­d­ium vapour lights with LED lights in a phased ma­nner,” he added. “Str­eet­lights at some places are being blocked by tree br­an­ches, obstructing the light. The civic body must prune the branches,” suggested Ak­­shayan Harih­aran, a resident of Vijaya­nagar.

The civic body has inc­reased the functioning time of streetlights following poor li­ght early in the wee hours. A press release no­tes that streetlights which usually burn till 5.30 am will now be on for an additional hour for the convenience of the people.

 

Community kitchen work in full swing

Friday, 17 January 2014 05:50
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The Hindu               17.01.2013

Community kitchen work in full swing

Staff Reporter

Residents to get gas 24X7; around 73 families to benefit

In about a month or two, the residents of Kamarajar Nagar at Edayarpalayam may not have to buy firewood or kerosene to fuel the stove. They can take their vessels and cereals, spices and other stuff to the community kitchen, which the Coimbatore Corporation is constructing at present.

According to sources, the civic body is constructing a kitchen with 16 stoves that will be fuelled with gas from the nearby biogas plant.

The biogas plant uses human waste from the nearby public convenience facility.

There are around 73 families that stand to benefit.

At present, the biogas plant, constructed by the Nirmal Biogen Technology, is on the verge of completion. The Corporation has to link the public convenience facility’s septic tank with the biogas plant’s inlet tank. The Corporation likewise is also on the verge of constructing the kitchen. The sources say that the biomethanation process, wherein the microbes feed on the waste to generate methane, will take at least 30-40 days and thereafter the residents will be able to use the gas for cooking.

And, after seven-eight months, the residents will get gas 24 hours a day for seven days a week.

 
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