Thursday, July 25, 2013: In a significant move in the series of initiatives taken by The Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY) to boost the electronic hardware manufacturing in the country and encouraging indigenous R&D capabilities to develop technologies, Kapil Sibal, minister of Communications & Information Technology and Law & Justice, handed over country’s first vehicle-actuated WiTraC technology (Wireless Traffic Controller) to eight domestic companies.
The WiTraC technology was developed by Centre For Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC), the premier R&D leg of Deity, as part of a research program to build indigenous intelligent transport system technology suitable for Indian conditions, with an outlay of Rs.147.5 millions. The private technology partners identified for the ToT (transfer of technology) by the government are – M/s Shakti Enterprise Pvt. Ltd, Jaipur; M/s Onnyx Electronics, Delhi; M/s Envoys Electronics, Gurgaon; Electro-Ads, Indore; DIMTS, Delhi; and Metro Infrasys, Delhi. The government will charge royalty of Rs 15,000 for every Wireless Traffic Control System (WiTraC) that will be installed by these companies.
During the ToT handing over function at Electronics Niketan, New Delhi, Kapil Sibal congratulated the CDAC team for developing this state-of-the-art technology that has become the ‘need of the hour’. The minister remarked in a lighter vein that this will go a long way in bringing a relief from traffic snarls including his own parliamentary constituency that has one of the most congested traffic in the national capital.
“If we have wireless traffic control system it will help us to collate data, it will help us show if traffic is heavy, it can move forward quickly. You will also get to know the number of cars on a particular route,” said Sibal.
The minister also pointed out that the technology based on solar energy will not only be efficient but will also save a lot of red-tapism and get regulatory reliefs, as per the National Solar Policy. While lauding R&D efforts of CDAC-Sibal recalled trigger for inception of CDAC in late eighties when US would deny technology transfer to India. He struck a note of caution and area of opportunity for the overall R&D sector. ‘Most of the R&D today emerges from public sector that is then transferred to private sector. That is not a good sign for a good market economy. Ideally, Government should only have a regulatory role’, said Sibal. ‘Even for this project, CDAC has partnered with IITs and IIMs that are public sector. We need to partner much more with private sector.As it is, private sector does not have enough capital to invest in R&D’, he remarked.
“However, this does not take away the superlative work of highest quality done by CDAC for WiTrac technology,” added the minister quickly.
“The system suits Indian traffic and is different from products developed abroad,” DEITY Secretary J Satyanarayana, who was also present at the event, said.
Advantage WiTrac
* Efficient & Environment friendly: Solar power based
* One third price of international product
* Can run for three days without power
* Small and pole-mountable
* Does not occupy space on the pavement
* No digging required
* Hume pipes and armoured cables used
The Evolution WiTraC
It has been a sustained endeavor of the DeitY to take up R&D through its own societies to develop technologies, which could be transferred to domestic companies at affordable cost for commercialization.
In one such initiative, the department has looked into the need for development of appropriate technology to address the area of traffic control system in corridors in medium and large cities. Accordingly in October, 2009 a collaborative research program to develop indigenous intelligent transport system technology was taken up through CDAC.
Through a systematic development phase CDAC developed the vehicle actuated Wireless Traffic Control System powered by solar panels. This state-of-the-art technology in the area of Traffic Control System meets IEC 60068 standard and is certified by Electronic Regional Testing Laboratory.
It is power efficient and the installations run on solar panel designed with 72 hrs power backup. WiTraC has been designed for pole mounting and does not require digging or ducting of roads.
Ranjan Srivastava, Investinelectronics.com, An initiative of www.electronicsforyou.biz to promote investment in electronics industry of India
