GUWAHATI, Oct 8 � The issue of The Tech Awards received by the Dipbahan cycle rickshaw recently took a new turn today with the innovator of the vehicle Dr Amarendra Kumar Das of the Design Department of IIT, Guwahati, alleging that the award was manipulated by some persons through fake claims.
It needs mention here that The Tech Museum, USA recently named the Rickshaw Bank of the city-based Centre for Rural Development (CRD) as the laureate of The Tech Awards 2011 for the Dipbahan cycle rickshaw. The Tech Museum said, the technology used in this vehicle has benefited the humanity and has the power to spark global change.
The CRD has been claiming that its executive director Dr Pradip Kumar Sarma has been named for the award.
But Dr Das claimed at a press conference here today that he himself had developed the design and technology of the Dipbahan cycle rickshaw. One model of the vehicle was given free of any fees to the CRD for manufacturing as a part of the corporate social responsibility of IIT, Guwahati. The arrangement was such that the CRD would be acknowledging the contribution of IIT, Guwahati.
But it has been noticed that the CRD and its executive director Dr Pradip Sarma have been claiming the concept of the design of this vehicle as their own. Based on such bogus claims, the CRD and its executive director have been receiving several awards. They have also been claiming that the concept of the rickshaw bank has also been evolved by them.
But, the concept of the rickshaw bank was evolved way back in 1994-95 by The Bastar Sevak Mandal of Lalbagh village in Bastar district of
Madhya Pradesh. The Rastriya Gramin Vikash Nidhi (RGVN) had sanctioned a project to this organisation and granted it funds for income generation activities through cycle rickshaw.
Dr Das said that the rickshaw bank, which has been named for the award is virtually a non-entity.
The entire episode has been stage-managed by some people in the Assam Foundation of North America (AFNA), in league with Dr Sarma, Dr Das alleged.
