KOZHIKODE : The 30 e-autorickshaws assembled by the students of Government Polytechnic College at West Hill in Kozhikode for the corporation’s waste management will commence service on Thursday. Minister of Higher Education R Bindu will flag off the vehicles at a function to be held in the district.
This is the first time in the country that such vehicles are being manufactured in bulk on a campus. Kozhikode corporation was ready to buy all 30 vehicles.
The initiative aims to bring about changes in the way waste is collected within the corporation limits and make the process more environmental friendly and efficient. The vehicles are specially designed for solid waste collection. The autorickshaws were assembled by the students with the support of the directorate of technical education under the higher education department.
The project was undertaken as part of the ‘Industry on Campus’ scheme. The campus industry unit started the construction of the vehicles with the help of Coimbatore-based e-autorickshaw manufacturing company Axeon Ventures Pvt Ltd.
Axeon Ventures signed an MoU with the government on October 31, 2022, to start industrial production in polytechnic colleges in collaboration with the Industry on Campus activities. Subsequently, a work for the supply of 75 electric garbage vehicles for the corporation was awarded. The 30 e-autos were being readied as part of the first phase of the work.
“The Government Polytechnic College, Kozhikode, has the country’s first on-campus electric three-wheeler assembly unit on an industrial basis. The manufacturing of 30 vehicles was completed after rigorous quality checks. This is also a successful culmination of the state government’s vision to create an opportunity for students to get exposure to real industrial conditions along with their studies,” said Minister Bindu.
