The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A new door to keep it clean

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Friday, Jul 04, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A new door to keep it clean

Anil Kumar Sastry

DESIGN FOR HYGIENE: K.S.S. Iyengar explaining his latest idea.

BANGALORE: A Bangalore-based retired mechanical engineer has claimed to have found a way of preventing railway station platforms from smelling. No, it is neither about the use of green toilets nor about novel ways of waste disposal. His solution is to stop people from using toilets when the train enters the station.

K.S.S. Iyengar, who worked with MICO, has devised a way where the doors of train toilets would automatically close when the train enters the station and open when it moves for its onward journey. Mr. Iyengar said people would be prevented from using the toilets during station stops, and railway tracks within the station premises would stay free of human waste. What happens to those passengers who are not aware that the train has entered a station and find themselves stuck in it? This engineer has devised an emergency switch inside the toilet to help the passenger come out. Also, another emergency switch outside the toilet enables housekeeping workers to enter the toilets and clean them when the train is in the station. In addition to the existing “U” type lock and standard bolt for toilet doors, Mr. Iyengar said a sliding hinge would be in place inside the toilet. When the train was running, the sliding hinge would be in open position and when it enters any platform, it would be pushed forward by a switch closing the toilet door. Each coach of the train should be fitted with a swinging rod switch on its belly.

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