Floating bicycles remain idle due to poor maintenance

 

 

 

Necessity is the mother of invention. Technologies go hand in hand with human creativity and their needs in the present situation. But some inventions remain in the dark for lack of their usages and vision of the authorities concerned. The floating bicycle, developed by CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI), Nagpur to rejuvenate water bodies is the perfect example of ‘lost vision’ of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). CSIR-NEERI gave two such machines to NMC for cleaning of Futala lake two years ago, but due to lack of maintenance and proper care it ‘rendered infructuous’ for people of Nagpur. Today, no one know where these machine are. In the beginning, the machine had caught the attention of other States also. Even, CSIR-NEERI started developing, modifying and making the bicycles more user-friendly.

 

The manufacturing was to be done by NGO Swacch Nagpur. “Initially we used the floating bicycle at Futala lake and thereafter NGO Swacch Nagpur asked us to maintain the machine. Now, we have no idea where the machine is,” said D P Tembekar, Divisional Officer (Electrical Department), Dharampeth Zone to The Hitavada. Anasuya Kale-Chhabrani, President, Swacch Nagpur, said, “The floating bicycle is a great innovation for cleaning the city lakes. But the officials of Dharampeth Zone were least bother about its maintenance and kept it abandoned in a shade near Futala lake.” Chhabrani also said, “People started stealing its parts and officials were least bother to take care of the machines.

 

Then we asked them to handover one of those to us for its maintenance which we have and maintaining well.” “Maintenance of the machine is not a costly affair, but NMC is not in a mood to invest money and man power for its use and promotion,” she added. In April, 2018, the then Director of CSIR-NEERI Dr Rakesh Kumar had handed over the first floating bicycle to NMC for cleaning Futala Lake and another one was handed over for cleaning of other city lakes. The bicycle would not only help clean lakes but also increase the dissolved oxygen level of a water body. After getting good response from other States, CSIR-NEERI had started developing similar but modified bicycles. “We started developing the bicycle as per the demand raised by other states but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project. While another CSIR institute based in Bengaluru introduced a boat which can clean water bodies and it is more advanced than our floating bicycle,” said Dr Atya Kaple, Senior Principal Scientist and Head of Director’s Research Cell at CSIR-NEERI.