IIT students develop sprayer drone
A drone with an automated sprayer has been developed by a five-member group of students from the IIT-Guwahati. It can sanitise roads, parks and footpaths. The students have a start up, Racerfly, and have already approached the governments of Assam and Uttarakhand to help them in the fight against COVID-19. The drone can do in 15 minutes work that an average person will take a day and a half. Google maps helps the drone select roads and areas to be sanitised. It can be automated to perform the task within a signal range of 3 km and spray two-four litres of disinfectant.
Media fraterity mourns death of budding scribe
Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 scare, the city’s media fraternity lost a colleague in a road accident. Dimpi Kashyap was riding a scooty on her way back home after office when she lost control and the two-wheeler hit an electric pole. The grievously-injured Dimpi was rushed to a hospital but she succumbed to her injuries soon after despite nest efforts by doctors. Her colleague Arup Morang, who was riding pillion, was also seriously injured. From the day the COVID-19 lockdown began till that fateful day, this was the lone incident of road mishap in Guwahati. Incidents of theft, robbery, murder etc in the city have also become things of the past in the lockdown. The entire media fraternity in the state capital was left numbed and expressed condolences to the bereaved family of the young colleague.
‘Don’t engage minors in garbage collection’
Adolescent and Child Rights Network, Assam (ACRNA), a network of organisations working on the issues of adolescents and child rights, expressed its concern following complaints that some children were present in some teams which collect garbage from city households. The ACRNA wrote to the commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation to direct NGOs engaged in the household garbage collection not to engage children. It thanked him for the hard work of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation in ensuring a clean and sanitised Guwahati. The network also thanked the NGOs engaged in door-to-door collection of garbage for the service in these tough times.
One minister wins hearts, another frustrates
Assam’s Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has emerged a “hero” amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. He is seen inspecting and ensuring that all arrangements are in place at hospitals and quarantine centres. Sarma had started working on setting up quarantine centres nearly a week ahead of the first corona case in Assam. In stark contrast, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Phani Bhushan Choudhury is seldom seen in public. Choudhury had admitted that some traders were indulging in black marketing and hoarding, but he is yet to take any action to help the people.
prasanta mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com