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National

Solar-powered postal delivery rickshaws launched

Sandeep Joshi

— Photo: PTI

Going green:Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sachin Pilot rides a ‘Soleckshaw' (solar rickshaw) during its launch in New Delhi on Friday.

NEW DELHI: Aimed at making lives of postmen more comfortable, the Department of Posts on Friday introduced solar-powered postal delivery rickshaws. Launching the pilot project here, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Sachin Pilot said initially 10 environment-friendly

‘Soleckshaw' would run in Ajmer (Rajasthan) and gradually these modern postal-delivery vehicles would be introduced across the country.

Developed jointly by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Kinetic Motors, ‘Soleckshaw' are pollution-free rickshaws that run on inexpensive solar battery.

“A recent survey has shown that a postman has to traverse a distance of 40-50 km daily to deliver post and parcel packages weighting up to 10-15 kg,” Mr. Pilot said.

Zero carbon footprint

The Minister further pointed out that this light delivery vehicle with zero carbon footprint would enable easier and timely delivery of posts to remote regions as well.

Additionally, they will make it easier to deliver heavier parcel packages in greater numbers, particularly to institutions and large organisations. At present, post is delivered through bicycles and other modes of transport.

Effort to modernise

Mr. Pilot said introducing ‘Soleckshaw' was part of the Government's efforts to modernise the India Post services under Project Arrow, where post offices across the country are being modernised and digitised.

Already over 1,000 post offices in 500 districts have been upgraded at a cost of over Rs.160-crore, while over 500 post offices are being modernised every year.

“We have starting getting results of these efforts as business at our post offices is already up by 25 per cent,” he added.

Corrections and Clarifications

In connection with a report "Solar-powered postal delivery rickshaws launched" (July 10, 2010), which said that the Soleckshaw is a zero carbon footprint vehicle, a reader says, "A carbon footprint is the measure given to the amount of greenhouse gases produced by burning fossil fuels, measured in units of carbon dioxide (i.e. kg). If you take into account the emission of greenhouse gases during the manufacture of various parts, the carbon footprint of a cycle would be much less than the Soleckshaw's, which is not a zero carbon footprint vehicle. That it is a zero pollutant in the areas where it is driven is correct, but to say that it is a zero carbon footprint vehicle would be unacceptable and wrong." The writer clarifies: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research leaflet on the Soleckshaw calls it a zero-carbon emission vehicle. It also says that the "concept of the Soleckshaw owes its genesis to the realisation that the dignity of human labour needs to be upheld and that all devices must be designed to decrease green house gas emission." The power source of the Soleckshaw is solar power and human-effort. No product can have a zero carbon footprint.

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