IIT building blasts-proof infra to combat terrorism

Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, is working towards building blast proof infrastructure and minimizing the impact of explosions in an effort to make India safe from terrorist attacks.

A team of researchers, with support from the Union ministry of defence, are testing rock from important project sites and locations. These rocks are mixed with shock absorbing material to study the shock absorbing capacity of the materials which can be used to build safer infrastructure.

“This is an effort to make India safe from terrorist attacks and particularly cross-border terrorism. The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has given nearly Rs 50 lakh of funding,” said Tanusree Chakraborty, who is working on the project titled ‘Making India Safe from Terror Attacks and Cross-Border Firing.’

The blast proof infrastructure was among the many projects developed by IIT professors and students. These projects will be on display on Saturday at the 13th Open House, an annual event to provide an insight into research work, student projects and the numerous advanced facilities and laboratories available at the institute. For close to eight months, the institute is marking attendance of its students using beacons in classrooms and smart phones.

Build with a cost of Rs 14 lakh, the institute has set up beacons in all its classrooms, which will act as sensors and beep when a student enters the classroom. The student then clicks a photo and uploads using a smartphone to register their in and out attendance.

This saves time spent in taking manual attendance during start of class, said professor Brejesh Lall, who developed the project. A team of researchers have developed a modification that can be done in helmets to provide auto-adjutsbale and self locking. “Helmet riders suffer critical injuries owing to the negligence in fastening strap. This technology, which will cost Rs 30-40 per helmet, provides automated strap tightening. The moment you wear it and push the button, the strap is tightened,” said professor Puneet Mahajan.

The civil affairs ministry carried out the name changes on April 13, a day after the Dalai Lama left Arunachal Pradesh following a nine-day high-profile visit. The visit angered China, which calls the Dharamsalabased Tibetan spiritual leader a “separatist” out to carve an independent homeland within the Chinese mainland.

India turned down repeated Chinese calls to cancel the visit, saying the Dalai Lama had gone to Arunachal Pradesh in the past and was free to travel across the country.

The Chinese state media had on several occasions warned India of consequences for allowing the Dalai Lama to visit the “disputed area”.

Beijing says Arunachal Pradesh, on the 3,488-km disputed border, is part of South Tibet with close Buddhist links to the Tibet Autonomous Region. Official Chinese maps show the state as part of South Tibet.

Speaking on the timing of the name changes, spokesperson Lu said: “China is now doing second census of names of localities and an important part of it is to standardise names in ethnic languages. “In the next step, we will also step up our study of those names in Tibetan ethnic languages and in the next step we will announce more standardisation of these names.”

According to Lu, the names were “passed on from generation to generation by people who have lived there for generations, the Tibetan ethnic and Monpa ethnic groups”.

Changing the names could be an indication of China hardening its stand and claims on Arunchal Pradesh, especially Tawang.

Spokesperson Lu laid bare China’s anger at the Dalai Lama’s visit – and the unsaid link between the trip and the step to change the names. “Let me stress that about the Indian government’s indulgence of Dalai Lama activities in disputed eastern section of the India-China boundary and also about his anti-China activities; this is something we are firmly against,” he said. “Let justice be done though the heavens fall,” the court said, quoting Article 142 under which it issued the directions .

“This Article gives a very wide power to do complete justice to the parties before the Court, a power which exists in the SC because the judgment delivered by it will finally end the litigation between the parties,” the court said, dismissing the 89-year-old leader’s contention that the transfer would curtail his fundamental rights.

The Mughal-era mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya was demolished by kar sevaks, or supporters of the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), on December 6, 1992, sparking one of India’s worst communal riots that left more than 3,000 people dead. Many Hindus believe that god Ram was born at the spot where the first Mughal emperor Babur built the mosque.

The disputed site, comprising 2.7 acres, remains India’s most potent religious flashpoint.

The demand for the Ram temple has been pivotal to the BJP’s rise. Two years before the mosque was demolished, Advani led a rath yatra across the country, seeking support for the temple to be built at the disputed site.

Advani, who is now side-lined, is credited with reviving the BJP’s political fortunes.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal took the lead in 2015 by asserting he would not have the red beacon on his car.

Union ministers such as M Venkaiah Naidu and junior home minister Kiren Rijiju have never used one since they joined the Modi’s council. Gadkari and Jitendra Singh, junior minister in the prime minister’s office, removed theirs on Wednesday.

The opposition Congress welcomed the step, but took a swipe at the BJP, saying it was good to see the ruling party catch up with the “progressive policies” of the previous government.

“The Supreme Court had given its verdict on December 10, 2013 about which cars be allowed and which ones not for use of red beacons. If after three-and-a-half years the BJP is trying to do politics over this and blow the trumpet of morality, then there can be nothing more laughable...,” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said.

The top court called beacons atop cars of ministers and bureaucrats “ridiculous and synonymous with power”, and said these should be removed immediately. It advised the Centre and states later to amend the motor vehicles act to trim the list of people who can use beacons.

The road ministry had proposed limiting the privilege to five constitutional authorities — the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, and Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The proposal was not approved.

According to the government, vehicles with beacon lights have no place in a democratic country.

People often saw these flashing lights as shining examples of power and VIP status, more than security aids. Even lower-level politicians and officials misuse the beacons to show off their importance, especially in smaller towns.

New cases have gone down marginally over the past decade: from 139,000 in 2006 to 127,000 in 2015. But 118 districts still have to reach the elimination level. Chhattisgarh and Dadar and Nagar Haveli are the worst affected.

The number of new cases with Grade 2 disability — affecting the eyes, hands and feet — has gone up from 3,015 in 2005-2006 to 5,851 in 2005-2016, shows Union health ministry data.

“The last push in disease control is the hardest, and India must continue to actively detect and treat leprosy to stop new infections and disability,” the official said.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by “mycobacterium leprae” that mainly affects the skin, peripheral nerves, eyes and the mucous membrane of the windpipe.

It is completely curable using multi-drug therapy available free in public hospitals and treatment in early stages prevents disability.

Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, was regarded as incurable in the past, and patients often became social outcasts.

TEAM OF RESEARCHERS, WITH SUPPORT FROM THE UNION MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, ARE TESTING ROCK FROM DIFFERENT PROJECT SITES

However, the party faces an uphill task after its recent drubbing in Punjab and Goa and also the assembly by-polls in Rajouri Garden where the party candidate finished a poor third and forfeited his security deposit.

“These BJP people have even backstabbed their own Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) despite his call for Swachh Bharat abhiyan...We will fix all these issues. The Delhi government has put an end to water, education and health mafia. We will replicate that in the MCDs,” he said.

The AAP had made an impressive entry in the municipal bypolls last year when it won five of the 13 wards where elections were held.

The party promised to make several services rendered by the civic bodies available online to reduce corruption and also introduce a common redressal helpline number, both for the Delhi government and the MCDs.

Some of the other major promises included free treatment and medicines in the MCD-run healthcare facilities and improvement in quality, waiver of house tax on residential properties, extension of subsidy regime in power and water sectors to tenants in the city.

To woo nearly 90,000 sanitation workers, the party assured that they will get their salaries by seventh of every month, while the contractual labourers would be regularised. The AAP also assured protective gears and health insurance scheme for the sanitation staff.

The party’s stress on cleaning up the city apparently aimed at assuring people who had to endure days of uncleaned streets littered with garbage when sanination workers went on strike recently.