Interview with Shekhar Chakravarti

Managing Director, Conveyor & Ropeway Services Pvt Ltd

Date: 03 Oct 2014
Shekhar Chakravarti, Managing Director, Conveyor & Ropeway Services Pvt Ltd

Curvo non-linear ropeway sounds very exciting and revolutionary. Is this your brain child? How did you come up with this idea? Also, what are the technological challenges you faced with this product?

The concept is unique, because non linear Ropeway travelling over existing road routes in urban cities, would be the first in the world, and therefore, could be called revolutionary, as it would constitute a 2nd tier transportation system for cities.

It is exciting as well.  You can well imagine the excitement at every stage that myself and my co-workers went through, as we progressed from development to design and commissioning of the prototype, culminating into a heavenly joy, when the trial cabin went through the route  of approx. 500mtr., negotiating two Angular Modules, unhindered during its up and down journey.

 

Is Curvo your Brain Child?

The concept was mine, I have to say.  Unless all the members working on the prototype implementation had adopted it, we could not have achieved the success.  So, it is a joint brain child of all the staff of CRSPL deployed on the non-linear prototype project.

 

What inspired you for something as ground breaking as Curvo?

It erupted from umpteen nos. of ills and miseries that the gasoline driven vehicular system inflicted on urban commuters.  They are very glaring and damaging too, to urbanites

1. Vehicular accidents on city roads

2. Pollution from vehicular emissions of toxic gases, dangerously harmful to respiratory system of city dwellers

3. Traffic jams and loss of time from more and more  vehicular induction on city roads, whereas, the existing road do not have any scope for expansion or widening

4. The sufferings, and I repeat, the sufferings that the urban commuters are undergoing, are also resulting in huge drainage of foreign exchange and subsidies thereon, for importing oil from Gulf countries, to run the fuming city buses.

My eldest daughter contacted asthma and dust allergy, about 20 years ago.  It was followed by my grandson’s about 8 years ago.  They gave me the first jerk.  The second and the most serious jerk that I experienced was when opening the morning newspaper, about 8 years ago, I was shocked to find two girls on way to school in the morning, were crushed under the wheels of two racing buses at the landing of No. 4 bridge near Park Circus Railway Station, Kolkata. 

Earlier, it was thoughts which I expressed in various global forays on Ropeways, where I pleaded for the Industry’s entry into urban areas, in addition to serving for winter sport, mainly. All that, gave me conviction, and I started serious work to find a solution. 

Dealing with Aerial Ropeways in national and international arena for decades, my attention  went  to the space available above city roads, but realised that, to avail that space, a non linear system needed to be developed as roads routes are non linear only.

 

What technological challenges did you face during this project?

Achieving operating freedom of the rope grip structure, unitarily, while negotiating horizontal support rollers, providing both horizontal and vertical supports.  The principle is simple, but its translation to CURVO reality took real working.

 

How many passengers can the cabins accommodate?

The hourly capacity per track, which according to our calculations is 2000/2500 passenger per hour (PPH) in each direction with a cabin capacity of 8-10 passengers per cabin.

If more than one track could be accommodated on a road, then for higher traffic like 4000-5000 or 6000-7500 PPH each way could also be transported.  They will be equivalent to 70 and 140 busloads per hour on road, respectively.

 

Has it been implemented anywhere else in the world? Or is this the first of its kind?

No, Curvo technology has not been implemented anywhere in the world, this technology, of negotiating non-linear routes over roads, as tried out, is first of its kind in the world.

 

How are you so sure that this product will be a success? Has it been tested for efficiency?

Success and efficiency will depend on 3 issues; Firstly the ability to negotiate non-linear route-This has been achieved and demonstrated, particularly, during the “TECHNOLOGY” launch ceremony on 6th September 2014. Secondly Cabin Capacity - On the Ropeways built by CRSPL at Bhopal in 2001 and for Adlabs Entertainments in July 2014 cabins of 9 and 8 passengers respectively are in operation.  World has record of 12 passengers cabins, operating on Monocable Detachable Grip Ropeways and lastly despatch and spacing rate of Cabin - 20-22 Seconds has been referred in the specification of our brochure for 2000pph capacity.  CRSPL and Breco Ropeways Ltd, UK (under CRSPL control) have successfully achieved and implemented 12 seconds and 14 seconds   carrier interval and time spacing on many Ropeways.

 All three issues having been addressed, therefore, efficiency could be considered as achieved.

 

At what stage is your proposal with Kolkata government? Are you planning to showcase this idea with other states too?  What about the Central government, we have Modi who is a pro infrastructure man or a Nitin Gadkari the minister of transport and highways....will you be discussing the same with them?

DPR for two routes, one between Sealdah Station and BBD Bag, and the other between Howrah Station and NABANNA, have been submitted, which are under examination for their suitability in respect of utilities etc.

The Government is favourably poised to implement the technology and showcase it to other cities in the country and other cities in the world as well.  It is open to all for exploitation.

We invited Central and other State Government personnel to witness the TECHNOLOGY LAUNCH ceremony, by the MIC, Urban Development, Government of West Bengal.

 Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” pitch, is expected to consider and nurse things developed and invented in the country, and we look up to him very much, being pro-infrastructure, to help and showcase it to the world.  In other worlds, adoption of CURVO as a 2nd tier transportation system, through the Ministry of Urban Development, headed by Shri Venkataiah Naidu.  We will take up the CURVO development with Central Ministries also, in due course. 

What are the advantages of Curvo other than means of transport?

Metro has limited flexibility, whereas CURVO penetration ability is everywhere, having road services.

Single track CURVO ‘s capacity is nowhere near to METRO, but when considered in respect of its use on multiple routes in congested city areas, its total capacity could be more, compared to that of METRO.  Further, CURVO being a considerably low cost infrastructure, it will suit midsize cities.  It can play a very important role, while planning the 100 smart cities.

Finally, CURVO with less gestation period and being economic compared to Monorail, Metro etc., and being totally disruption free of existing infrastructures and utilities, could be a preferable choice in many cases.

 

How are you planning to finance and execute this project, in case you get an approval. DO you have some time up with any major company or group?

We expect Government to organise infrastructural fund. We are in dialogue with our bankers and other agencies. They are comfortably poised with the scheme. We have also had some dialogue with the Tatas and they have shown some interest.

 

You also talked of this product having a global appeal, so will you be showcasing this at any international show or event?

Once we showcase one commercially operative Unit, the global appeal will grow.  We plan to participate in International Fairs, with this product.  Pollution is also a problem in Europe.  Even Buckingham Palace in London is in the midst of toxic NO2, a product of diesel engine emission, and its pollution level is 4 times more than the acceptable level in Europe.  So, Europe is also expected to welcome the scheme.


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Shekhar Chakravarti
Date - 03 Oct 2014

Managing Director, Conveyor & Ropeway Services Pvt Ltd





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