Amidst all the transport mess in and around Calcutta, there is some good news for the thousands of rickshaw pullers of Calcutta. Facing a ban after the High Court stays KMC's notification to ban hand pulled rickshaws from the city streets, the dual-powered SOLECKSHAW is the solution for the dual problem of decent employment generation for the masses and mitigation of global warming.
Robust and ergonomically designed to take the drudgery out of the rickshaw driving, the prototype of Soleckshaw has been handed over to a rickshaw puller on 15.07.09, operating on Upen Bannerjee Road, between Jinjira Bazar & Behala Thana. Born out of the recent CSIR vision, appropriately titled, CSIR-800 aimed at empowering 800 million Indians by way of S&T intervention, the of Soleckshaw has been designed, developed and prototyped by the CSIR’s national laboratory, the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) at Durgapur.
The prototype has been manufactured by a Calcutta based firm 'DEAN SYSTEMS'. The Managing Partner, Mr.D.Basu Roy says that this will go a long way in improving the health (chest pains and shortage of breath) of the rickshaw pullers and also it will dignify the job and reduce the labour of pedalling.
Technical Features;
Power source - Solar and human
Drive - Motor-assisted pedal-driven
Electric motor with regenerative capabilities
Transmission - Chain drive with differential and two ratios
Brakes - Three-wheel braking
Seating capacity - Two passengers
Payload - 200 kg (excluding driver)
Speed limit 15 kmph
The makeover will include FM radios and power points for charging mobile phones during rides. Gone are the flimsy metal and wooden frames that make them so uncomfortable. The chassis is designed for comfortable ride even for the senior citizens and physically challenged.
They have always been environment friendly, now there is even more reason why we should continue with them.
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