Railways may introduce green-friendly sanitary mugs in trains

After the introduction of earthen teacups, the Indian Railways may soon bring in environment friendly bio-degradable disposable paper mugs in its lavatories.

The bio-degradable disposable paper mugs are designed by a post-graduate student at the National Institute of Design and a member of the National Design Business Incubator.

R S Virdi, railway board member and executive director, mechanical, Indian Railways, will visit the National Design Business Incubator in Ahmedabad on June 23 to inspect the product.

"We are positive about the disposable paper mugs to be introduced by the Indian Railways as the product is environment friendly bio-degradable and hygienic in nature and is ideal for the lavatories of the railways," said Prashant Singh Kutaula, chief operating officer, National Design Business Incubator.

"The railways may also assign the incubator to design and develop other products and components for the interiors of railway coaches. The product is ready and the commercial production may soon start. The pricing and the specification of the product will be finalised after the meeting with the railway officials," said Kutaula.

The incubator, the only such facility in the country, was set up with the help of the Department of Science and Technology working under the aegis of the Union ministry of science and technology and was fully operational from November last year.

The incubator, within the first eight months of its functioning, has designed and developed 'Kids Only Equipment'.

The equipment is made of ultraviolet plastic material and is tubular in nature than the traditional equipment made up of glass fibre.

The equipment is designed in modular form and has over 12 games and costs Rs five lakh. The first such equipment has already been installed at the Wide Angle multiplex in Gandhinagar. The equipment was designed by Amit Paul, an student at the National Design Business Incubator.

The incubator plans to sell over 100 such equipment in the next one year. It has been receiving enquiries from various schools and municipal parks across the country for the product.

At present around seven students are working on their products at the incubation centre and their products and designs are expected to be in the market within the next two years.