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Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Skating rally, street plays, other events send out green message in Varanasi
1 2 3 4 5 6 Varanasi: A series of events were organised in Varanasi on the occasion of World Environment Day on Thursday. A skating rally to create environmental awareness was organised under the joint auspices of Rajesh Dogra Roller Skating School, Varanasi and Shri Aggarwal Seva Samiti. Tree plantation and awareness programmes were conducted by various organisations. About 150 boys and girls of various age groups participated in the skating rally, wearing green outfits and carrying placards with environmental slogans. The rally started from Vanita Public School, Lahurabir, and passed through Piplani Katra, Kabir Chaura, Lohatia and Maidagin, culminating at Shri Aggarwal Girls Inter College located at Town Hall. During the environmental awareness skating rally, the skaters collected plastic bags along the route and pledged at the endpoint to avoid using plastic bags and to raise awareness among the public. Various programmes full of green consciousness were organised throughout the day at Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW). The programme was started by BLW general manager, Naresh Pal Singh, by planting saplings on the premises of Railway Protection Force BLW. He gave the message of conservation and promotion of nature by planting fruit trees. At another programme, a roller-skating rally was organised from BLW Inter College to Kundan, in which schoolchildren gave the message of environmental protection by raising slogans in colourful costumes. The energy and determination of the children impressed everyone. In the environment-related seminar and street play programme organised at the Technical Training Centre of BLW, the civil department gave a presentation on the environment. Thereafter, the artists gave a strong presentation on the climate crisis, plastic pollution and the necessity of tree plantation through street play. The general manager also gave the message of plastic elimination by distributing cloth bags. In the mass plantation programme organised near the paint shop in the factory premises, the GM planted a sapling himself and inspired all the employees. The 'World Environment Protection Fortnight' organised by the Varanasi division of North Eastern Railway concluded on Thursday, witnessing various environmental awareness programmes at major stations and railway colonies. The Vishal Bharat Sansthan organised a 'Tree Outcry March' on the occasion to highlight the pain of trees. The department of botany, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, in collaboration with Srijan Social Development Trust and the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Varanasi, organised a seminar to mark the day. The event concluded with a plantation drive at the garden of the department of botany.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
BLW wins top honour in Loco Cab Design at MSG meet
1 2 Varanasi: The concept and design of the loco cab developed by the Banaras Locomotive Work (BLW) was adjudged the best at Loco Cab competition organised as part of the two-day 42nd Maintenance Service Group (MSG) meeting that concluded on Saturday. The event, hosted at BLW, focused on the maintenance, technical upgrades, and design innovations aimed at improving the efficiency and driver-friendliness of electric locomotives. In the competition, BLW won first prize in the production unit category, while in the zonal railway category, the Lallaguda Shed of South Central Railway and Royapuram (RPM) of South Railway jointly secured the first position. The second prize was awarded to Kanpur, Ajni, and Waltair Sheds jointly. The third prize was given to DDU, Hubli, and Vadodara Sheds jointly. BLW General Manager Naresh Pal Singh congratulated the participants of the Loco Cab competition, in which loco cab interiors were designed with participation from 14 electric locomotives from zonal railways and production units across the country. The evaluation was based on driver cab convenience, design, and efficiency. A special exhibition showcasing innovations for the convenience and safety of loco pilots was also organised. Additional Member (Traction), Railway Board VP Singh mentioned that new locomotives will be equipped with AC and urinals, and these features will soon be added to older locomotives as well. Comfortable seats like those in Vande Bharat trains, LED headlights, and electric wipers will be installed in new locomotives. The goal is to install the 'Kavach' safety system in about 10,000 locomotives by December 2025. He also announced that two-bedroom facilities are being developed in railway rest houses for running staff. He mentioned that with the completion of 100 years of electric traction, the electrification of 100% of railway tracks nationwide will be achieved by the end of this year, leading to a surge in demand for electric engines. To meet this demand, production units and sheds are being rapidly expanded. The meeting included extensive discussions on technical problems in electric locomotives, potential solutions, and innovations to enhance driver convenience.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Time of India
BLW introduces waterless urinals to enhance sanitation facilities
Lucknow: Under the 'Clean and Safe Toilets' initiative, Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) has incorporated waterless urinals, along with new CO₂ cylinder fittings and hand brakes, in 37 WAG-9 freight locomotives and two WAP-7 passenger locomotives. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now WAP and WAG refer to types of electric locomotives. WAP stands for Wide Gauge AC Passenger, while WAG stands for Wide Gauge AC Goods. "The installation of waterless urinals maintains the structural integrity of the locomotives. A space with a depth of 180 mm has been allocated within the cab to accommodate the urinal, thereby ensuring ease of access for the crew and adherence to design protocols. The water-free urinal system aids environmental sustainability by conserving water," said the spokesperson of BLW. The official said this innovative step will not only enhance sanitation facilities for railway staff but also send a strong message of environmental responsibility. It marks a meaningful contribution towards the goals of the 'Swachh Bharat Mission' and 'Green Rail' initiative. Banaras-Agra Cantt Vande Bharat to get addl carriages Considering the demand among passengers for Vande Bharat Express service between Agra and Varanasi, the NCR has extended the trainset configuration from 8 to 16 carriages for 20175/20176 (Banaras-Agra Cantt Vande Bharat Express. The 16-carriage configuration will operate from May 29.
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Trump tariffs: Sona sees short term pain, explores alternatives to cut Chinese imports
HighlightsSona BLW remains optimistic despite US tariffs, citing past resilience, strong order book, and robust financials. CEO predicts industry consolidation, with weaker players exiting and stronger firms like Sona gaining market share. Short-term impact acknowledged, with concerns over global auto demand and supply chain disruptions due to rare earth dependence on China. Sona enters humanoid robot components market, leveraging core strengths in gears, motors, sensors, and actuators. Indian auto component suppliers have begun insisting that there is a silver lining in the dark clouds of tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, never mind the short term debilitating effects. Even the added complexity of China subsequently tightening the screws on its global exports of rare earths in the wake of Trump's actions has failed to dampen the cheer exuded by component makers such as Sona BLW Precision Forgings ( Sona Comstar ). The company's optimism is based on two factors: a) a been there, done that attitude, which is a result of a large order book and substantial growth after the Covid19 disruption b) hope that in the medium to long term, weaker global auto parts manufacturers may not survive the impending chaos whereas companies with strong balance sheets like Sona will be able to ride the trough of tariffs. But the short term worry remains. Sona provides mission critical systems for electrified and non electrified powertrains to BEVs as well as ICE vehicles , in India and many markets across the world. In the medium to long term, we expect many opportunities to emerge from this chaos (tariffs by the USA). We firmly believe that many weaker players may not survive this Vikram Singh Vivek Vikram Singh , MD and Group CEO, said after the Q4 FY25 results that 'in the medium to long term, we expect many opportunities to emerge from this chaos (tariffs by the USA). We firmly believe that many weaker players may not survive this disruption. This should lead to further consolidation in the hands of companies with strong technology moves. Indian companies like ours that can provide world-class product performance and quality and have robust margins and healthy cash balances should emerge from this period much stronger than before. We have had this kind of disruption in COVID times also and we enjoyed a period of very high growth and a lot of order book additions, even in that time. And there is this ability, I think, we have as a company that when Brownian motion or random motion increases, we tend to benefit far more than our peers.' Read more: Sona BLW Q4 net profit rises 10% to ₹164 crore despite revenue dip But short term pain cannot be gainsaid. Singh said the tariffs will adversely impact the demand for cars and light trucks and since Sona is a supplier to automakers globally, 'we may not be, we in fact are not immune to the demand and supply disruptions. But if you can look beyond the short term, I think there is also a lot of opportunity. Second, global automotive production, and this I include every market, may see disruptions due to supply chain complexities and high dependence on China, especially for rare earth materials.' In the case of Sona, imports from China include magnets and Singh said the company was working with the Indian government and the Chinese embassy to speed up magnet imports. It is also searching for alternatives to the Chinese magnets. 'We are also evaluating alternate materials including ferrite, different grades of magnets, different technologies as well as different supply sources. So to sum up in a fairly confusing and uncertain time, we believe this trade war to be disruptive and adverse in the short term for the entire global auto industry,' he said. We are also evaluating alternate materials including ferrite, different grades of magnets, different technologies as well as different supply sources. So to sum up in a fairly confusing and uncertain time, we believe this trade war to be disruptive and adverse in the short term for the entire global auto Vikram Singh In a recent comment on the impact of Trump tariffs on Indian auto component makers, ICRA had estimated anywhere between Rs 2,700 crore to Rs 4,500 crore on the component OEMs' earnings after the imposition of steep US tariffs on key automotive parts. The new levies include 25% tariff on engines, transmission, electrical components, and other auto parts. These tariffs may also moderate the overall auto component industry's revenue growth to 6-8% in the current fiscal, which is a downward revision from an earlier projection of 8-10%. Humanoid robots Predicting rapid adoption of 'Humanoid Robots' in the market over the next decade, Sona has meanwhile decided to become a supplier of materials for these robots. 'These robots have potential applications in a lot of industries, services as well as households. Like all other mobility segments, motors, drives, gears and reducers constitute more than 50% of the bill of materials for humanoids…So we'll be leveraging our core capabilities to develop components for humanoid robots,' Singh said. Sona believes that these robots will have industrial, logistics and commercial applications and even in households, they will be playing a 'dominant' role in the future. And thus, it is important for the company not to miss this mega trend. 'Sona comes with its strong capabilities in gears, sensors, motors, controllers, embedded hardware and software is uniquely positioned to ride this wave. At the heart of these humanoids are actuators, which control practically all aspects of motion, linear and rotary. They also contribute to over 50% of the 35,000 to 50,000 dollar bill of material cost. We have begun exploratory work in components and systems that will get us into this field faster,' another company official said. Sona will leverage existing capabilities across driveline, motor, and sensor divisions to offer integrated products like rotary linear actuators and vision systems. Read more: Sona-Comstar, IIT Delhi Innovation Program for Smart, Safe and Clean Mobility
