Month: June 2008
Getting ahead with CAP
Getting ahead with CAP
The online Centralised Allotment Process could prove tricky to aspirants of engineering and medical courses. G. MAHADEVAN cautions them about the pitfalls that they may come across while using the online process.
Go online: The Commissioner of Entrance Examinations will notify the list of centres where candidates can participate in CAP.
Amid continuing uncertainty about the fee and the number of seats for engineering, medical and allied courses in the State, the only constant seems to be the Centralised Allotment Process (CAP).
This year too, the Commissioner for Entrance Examination will use the software developed and maintained by the National Informatics Centre for CAP. Though the software has matured over the past two years, the online process still poses some challenges to aspirants. In some aspects of CAP, students repeatedly go wrong.
In about two weeks, the Commissioner will publish the category lists of candidates eligible for reservation. After June 12, the rank list for the architecture course will be published. By the fourth week of June, the revised category list will be published. During this period, the Commissioner will start dispatching the data sheet containing a candidate’s rank, his or her roll number and key number. The key number will be printed on a detachable portion of the sheet.
Once the category lists are out, candidates can assess their position in the rank list and by using the “last rank admitted” details for 2007, can also roughly gauge the likelihood of their getting admission to desired courses. It will be a good idea to note down the roll number, the application number and the key number on a card and keep it safe. However, candidates will be well advised not to lose the data sheet.
This is the time when candidates should gather information about colleges in which they plan to study and about the courses they wish to do. Once this is done, a candidate should sit down to fix the course and college priority.
The registration of options will begin once the Commissioner notifies CAP and specifies the window within which it should be done. There will be a designated web site for the registration. Each candidate will have a home page on this site. This page can be accessed only by keying in the roll number, the key number and the application number. An alphanumeric password of up to 15 characters has to be compulsorily set. It is vital for candidates not to lose their password. Once a candidate has reached his home page, he or she can mark preferences for courses and colleges.
Remember password
Last year, there were many instances of candidates frantically ringing up the office of the Commissioner saying they had lost or forgotten their passwords. A candidate can retrieve the password either from the Commissioner’s office at Thiruvananthapuram or at the Information Guidance and Option Facilitation Centre in each district on proving his or her identity.
The options can be registered from any computer that has a Net connection. The Commissioner will notify the list of centres where candidates can participate in CAP.
It is while marking preferences for courses and colleges that most candidates make mistakes.
Those familiar with the codes of the courses and colleges often overlook the slightest of differences in the codes while marking preferences. As a result, they may get allotted to a course or college that they never wished to study in.
A candidate who has done his homework would have a priority list of courses and colleges with the codes checked and confirmed. There is no limit to the changes a candidate can make in the priority list when the registration window is open.
Though candidates can register hundreds of course and college options, they should never mark preference for a course or college that they do not desire. Once a preference is marked against a course and college, there is every possibility of getting allotted to it. After marking each preference, the home page should be saved and a printout taken. Also, compulsorily log out is required each time.
A candidate marks his preferences using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 …). Do not enter separate priority lists for engineering and medical courses. In other words, a candidate can have as his first priority the electrical engineering course, second priority, the BDS programme and third, the MBBS course.
If a candidate wishes to remove a particular option from that list, all he or she has to do is to remove the given preference number, type zero in its place and update the list.
Candidates should never wait till the last minute for registering the options as that would rob them of the benefits of the trial allotments that the Commissioner makes.
After each trial allotment, the candidate can revise the option list. At a specified time and date, the web site will be frozen and no further revisions can be made.
Once the first allotment is done, the time and date for the payment of fee will be announced. At the time of the admission, the candidate will have to produce the documents listed in the prospectus (pages 37-38). Candidates should note that no eligibility or equivalency certificate is needed for the ICSE, the CBSE, the VHSE and the higher secondary courses. However, a candidate who has studied under an examination Board of another State (say, Gujarat or Rajasthan) should get such a certificate from any university in Kerala. If after the first allotment, a candidate is satisfied with the course and college he has received, he should compulsorily cancel his “higher order option” list. Otherwise, the CAP software will assume that the candidate wishes to be considered for re-allotment and will do so accordingly.
(Note: The CAP procedure described in the article was sourced from the office of the Commissioner at the time of the preparation of the article. There may be slight changes in the CAP procedure as per the discretion of the CEE.)
Take a different turn
Take a different turn
B.S. WARRIER for THE HINDU
There are many study options if students choose not to go for higher secondary courses.
Hands on: ITI students at work.
Many students look for study options other than the higher secondary courses. Let us look at some of the options before them.
One is the diploma courses in engineering and technology. Jobs in the field of engineering and technology may be broadly classified into three:
•Engineers and technologists who shoulder the responsibilities of design, construction, manufacture, maintenance and so on. These professionals normally hold a degree in engineering or technology.
•Skilled craftsmen such as plumbers, electricians, welders, motor mechanics, moulders, painters, and fitters.
•Technicians who function as a dynamic link connecting the engineers and technologists and the skilled craftsmen.
Technicians play a significant role in the execution of work. They interpret and explain drawings to the skilled craftsmen, supervise their work, take charge of the maintenance of machines, prepare engineering drawings based on the designs furnished to them and so on.
The basic qualification of technicians is a diploma in engineering or technology from a polytechnic college. Candidates who have passed the 10th standard are admitted to these colleges and given theoretical and practical training for three years. Almost all the disciplines such as civil, electrical, electronics, computer science, chemical, automobile and textile engineering and technology in the B.Tech. programmes are available in the polytechnic colleges. The curriculum is similar, but there is a significant change in emphasis. Mathematical analysis and design are emphasised greatly in B.Tech. programmes. That does not happen in the diploma courses. The stress in the diploma programmes is on “what and how,” whereas B.Tech. programmes focus on “why” as well.
Diploma programmes are conceived mainly as terminal programmes. But there are opportunities for further education. Diploma holders can secure B.Tech. degrees by joining part-time evening courses in engineering colleges. Normally, those with a diploma and one or two years of experience who work in the neighbourhood of the college are admitted to the part-time B.Tech. courses.
Another option is to join the second year of the B.Tech. programmes through what is known as “lateral entry.” They complete the programme in three years instead of the four taken by regular students.
A third possibility for higher studies is securing professional memberships such as the AMIE and the AMIETE through private studies. These stand recognised as equivalent to the B.Tech. degrees. Certain State governments do not accept them as equivalent for teaching jobs in the engineering colleges; otherwise, the membership is on a par with B.Tech.
Diploma holders who start their career as technicians often become engineers by virtue of their acquired higher academic qualifications or their years of professional experience.
There may be some anxiety whether the diploma is inferior to the degree. This anxiety is misplaced. The duties of the technician are as important as those of the engineer or technologist. Every category of employee is equally important in an organisation.
An expert in education, who came across this anxiety in respect of the polytechnic diploma holders, once wrote: The society that tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because philosophy is an exalted activity and scorns excellence in plumbing because plumbing is a humble activity, will not have good philosophy or good plumbing. Neither their theories nor their pipes will hold water.
Craftsmen courses
Courses for training skilled craftsmen are being held in industrial training institutes (ITIs) under the control of the Directorate- General of Employment and Training. The institutes are affiliated to the National Council of Vocational Education (NCVT). These courses are being held in recognised private institutes known as industrial training centres (ITC). There are craft courses in engineering as well as non-engineering trades with various durations and entry qualifications. Typical samples are shown below:
•Electrician, two years, admission to those who have passed the 10th standard.
•Diesel mechanic, one year, admission to those who have passed the 10th standard.
•Painter (general), two years, admission to non-matriculates as well.
•Plumber, one year, admission to non-matriculates as well.
•Craftsman food production (General), one year, admission to those who have passed the 10th standard.
•Tool- and die-maker, three years, admission to those who have passed the 10th standard.
These courses, which aim at developing skills in the trades, are generally considered terminal courses. There are only limited opportunities for further studies. Those who are interested may go to the foremen training institutes at Bangalore or Jamshedpur, where the craftsmen can undergo training to become foremen or supervisory personnel in industries. Another option is the three-year diploma courses in polytechnic colleges.
Food craft courses
Hotel management or hospitality management is an attractive area of study that offers fine opportunities for early placement. But the course stretches over three years; admission is confined to those who have passed at least the higher secondary course.
Training in certain specific elements is being imparted in the food craft institutes. The minimum qualification for admission to some of the courses is the higher secondary certificate, whereas some others admit those who have passed the 10th standard examination.
The food craft courses which admit candidates who have passed the 10th standard:
•Food production, 15 months
•Hotel accommodation and operation, 15 months
•Bakery and confectionary, nine months
(Courses in food and beverage service, front office and canning and preservation are restricted to those who have passed the higher secondary examination.)
Other options
•Computer data-entry courses.
•Stenography (computer skills have become an essential ingredient).
•Engineering certificate examinations conducted by the State governments.
•Basic training of auxiliary nurse midwife and lady health visitor.
•Sanitary inspectors’ foundation course at various centres, under the control of the All India Institute of Local Self- Government.
•Training courses in production and quality control, pattern/cutting master, machine mechanic, garment construction in apparel training and design centres, under the Union Ministry of Textiles.
Child safety: a checklist
Child safety: a checklist
Many accidents to children can be prevented if a few precautions are taken. DR. B. RAMACHANDRAN outlines what needs to be done.
EACH year, hundreds of children are injured, some fatally. Often, this happens in or around the house, while the parents or caretakers are present. A few simple precautions can prevent many of these accidents.
Electrical
Electricity is dangerous. Children love to stick objects into exposed electrical outlets. Use dummy plugs to cover unused outlets — if these are not readily available, simply buy a new plug and insert into the outlet.
Avoid leaving long lengths of power cords exposed — the child can pull these and cause an appliance to fall. Also make sure that all the power cords are in good condition, without being frayed. Avoid using too many extensions since these can overheat and cause a short circuit or a fire.
If you are having a new home or flat built, ask the electrical contractors to install an Earth Linked Circuit Breaker (ELCB). This is a device that will instantly shut off the supply to the home if it detects an earth leak, such as when someone accidentally gets an electric shock. You can also request that all the outlets and switches be installed at a height above the reach of the average toddler.
The kitchen
Many household accidents happen here.
Children love to play with fire — do not leave matches around where a child can get hold of them. Teach children about fire safety from an early age. Also, do not leave pots and pans on the gas or range unsupervised. Ensure that the handles of saucepans or other vessels are turned away — this will make it harder for a toddler to reach up and tip the contents over himself.
Keep all knives, forks and other sharp objects out of reach. This includes items like mixer blades.
Keep all kitchen and other household cleaners out of the reach of children, preferably under lock and key. This also applies to kerosene, if you use it.
The bathroom
Keep all cleaning agents, such as acids and detergents in a locked cabinet. Many of these compounds are highly corrosive and can do serious damage if ingested.
Adjust the temperature control on your geyser so that it is not too hot — you should be able to hold your hand without discomfort in the hot water stream.
Food safety
Many foods can be dangerous for small children since they can aspirate the items, which will result in blockage of the breathing passages. The air passages of a child are relatively small and are easily blocked. In addition, children often talk or laugh with food in their mouth. It is difficult to enforce the following safety tips but medical professionals see many disasters that could have easily been avoided.
Children under five years should not eat hard items like murukku, seedai and hard candy. Nuts are especially dangerous. Popcorn (which is light) can easily be aspirated into the lungs.
Teach children not to put too much food into their mouths and also not to talk with food in the mouth.
Toys
Many toys can be dangerous. There are no enforceable guidelines in India about toy design and safety issues. You can take the following steps to ensure that toys do not hurt your child.
Make sure that the toy is age appropriate — what is suitable for an older child may be unsafe for a younger child.
Watch out for toys with sharp edges and small parts — children below three years can aspirate small parts and choke.
Avoid toys that have paint that peels off. The paint can be ingested when a child puts it into his mouth.
If a toy uses button cells, be very careful since toddlers can swallow them.
Baby walkers
Baby walkers can be extremely dangerous and are totally unnecessary. Babies who use walkers do not start walking any faster than others. However, babies do not have the ability to control the extra mobility provided by a walker and can run into furniture or other objects, or fall down stairs and get hurt.
General
Go around the house regularly and ensure that there are no sharp edges exposed that can hurt a child.
Keep all medicines out of the reach of children. Many tablets look like candy and toddlers love to eat them. Even medicines like iron tablets and vitamins are dangerous.
Do not give leftover medicines prescribed on a previous occasion or for others to a child — it may be both inappropriate and dangerous.
Do not allow children to play unsupervised on balconies.
Do not allow children to play on the rooftop, even if supervised. Most parapet walls are not high enough to prevent a child from falling over.
Be extremely careful around stairs — infants and toddlers can easily fall down and injure themselves. If you have open stairs in a house, consider having a carpenter make a temporary safety gate until the child is old enough to use the stairs without assistance.
Do not place chains or other closed loop like objects around a child’s neck. These can get caught on objects and strangulate the child.
Keep agarbati and other burning objects well away from children — children sometimes try to look at the glowing tip and get burns on the face.
Do not allow children to play with or handle plastic bags — these can suffocate a child if placed over the head.
Water safety
Children have no innate fear of water and must be carefully supervised. Even a bucket with only a few inches of water at the bottom can be a death trap for a toddler who could fall into it head first.
Be extremely wary when small children are in or near swimming pools or other water bodies. Most incidents of drowning happen in the presence of the parents or other adults. It is impossible for one person to effectively supervise a group of children and one child can easily be missed in a large group.
Travel safety
Two wheelers: No one should ride a scooter or motorcycle without wearing a helmet. Since paediatric helmets are not available, ideally no child should ride on a two-wheeler. Children are much more prone to head injuries than adults because the size of the head is larger relative to the body and therefore children fall headfirst. Even a very low speed accident can cause serious or fatal injury.
More than two people should never ride a two-wheeler. Unfortunately, it is all too common to see entire families on the same vehicle.
Car Travel: Ideally, all occupants in a car should wear seat belts — even low speed accidents can cause serious injury to passengers not wearing seat belts.
In addition, children should travel only in a properly designed child safety seat. Unfortunately, these are generally not available in India. In the absence of car seats, the following safety measures may be of some help.
Do not allow children to travel in the front — if the car stops suddenly, the child will be thrown forward and can sustain serious head injuries by hitting the windshield or dashboard.
Do not allow children to sit in an adult’s lap. In the event of an accident, both will be thrown forward and the adult’s weight will crush the child.
Wear seat belts, even if you mainly drive within the city — children emulate adults and they too will learn to use seat belts if you set an example. However, do not fit an adult seat belt onto a child until he is old enough, otherwise serious damage can happen in the event of an accident. In general, a child can wear an adult seat belt when he is about 4.9 feet (145 cm) tall, or weighs more than 36 kg.
Do not allow children to play with items like pencils, sticks, etc. since these can injure the child or another occupant in the event of the vehicle coming to a sudden stop.
Similarly, do not keep large, unrestrained objects in the passenger compartment — these can be thrown out and injure occupants during a sudden stop.
IGNOU’s new programmes
IGNOU’s new programmes
G. KRISHNAKUMAR, THE HINDU
A BA course in international hospitality administration and a diploma programme in retailing are among the new academic offerings.
Retailing revolution: Career prospects in retailing are good owing to the huge growth of the sector.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is ready to offer some innovative academic programmes. Come July, it will launch the BA course in international hospitality administration. The programme is being offered in association with the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute, U.S.
Senior university officials say the programme incorporates the flexibility of distance and continuing education with the conventional learning system and provides face-to-face interaction through its programme centres, for both theory and practical parts. Internship (industrial exposure training) is an integral part of the programme.
There will be 120 credits for the undergraduate programme. The duration of the course is three years, including six months of internship. The programme fee is Rs. 1 lakh a year. Candidates with a pass in Plus Two examination can apply.
Some of the courses to be offered by the U.S. institute include food production principles; food and beverage service; housekeeping management; front office procedures; international hotel management development; supervision in the hospitality industry; resort management; security and loss prevention management; hospitality sales and marketing; and convention management.
IGNOU will offer a foundation course in tourism, management in tourism, communication skills in English and understanding international tourists and human resources.
Candidates must complete the internship at the place deputed. It is a prerequisite for obtaining the degree and part training will not be considered.
The course is designed to ensure that students who pass out are fully employable in the hospitality industry. The classes at the programme centres are therefore mandatory for acquiring hands-on training and skills development required by a hospitality administration professional.
Retailing
Inspired by the growing Indian retail market, IGNOU has come up with a diploma programme in Retailing. The course will be offered in collaboration with the Retailers’ Association of India (RAI).
M. Shanmugham, Regional Director of IGNOU, Kochi, says that business and university relationships are perfected in the programme and all the students who join the course are guaranteed an internship of a minimum six months with an established retail company.
Each student will be paid a stipend during the period of internship. Every student is required to maintain a workbook to record his or her performance and it will be authenticated with remarks by the sponsor. A separate confidential report in a prescribed format shall be submitted by the sponsor explaining the performance of the student during the internship. There will be 36 credits for the course. Eligibility required is pass in Plus Two. Some of the courses offered as part of the programme are overview of retailing; principles of marketing; retail management perspective and communication; customer service management; merchandising; visual merchandising and store design; and retail operations and store management.
The University will establish exclusive study centres for the programme. Besides academic counsellors, experts from the retail industry will provide counselling, special lectures and discussions.
IGNOU has also proposed a Bachelor’s degree programme in retailing. The BBA programme will be developed with a modular approach incorporating diploma in retailing.
A student who takes the diploma will be eligible for admission to the BBA programme.
Court: airlines can ground overweight air hostesses
Court: airlines can ground overweight air hostesses
Staff Reporter, THE HINDU
“There is no scope for any debate on overweight people”
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The petitioners challenged a circular issued by the airlines in 2006 “Indian Airlines has to meet the challenge of private airlines”
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld a judgment by one of its Single Benches putting the seal of approval on a decision by the Indian Airlines (now Indian) to ground overweight airhostesses and cabin crew members from flight duty.
The judgment by a division bench comprising Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice J.R. Midha came on a review petition against a Single Bench judgment by the affected air hostesses and cabin crew members.
The Division Bench also allowed Indian Airlines to recover excess money payable to employees on flight duty even after their grounding on a direction by the Court.
The Single Bench had justified the Airlines’ decision to ground them on account of the requirement of the public sector company to stay in business.
The petitioners had also challenged a circular issued by the Airlines in 2006 withdrawing the permissible overweight limit of 3 kg over and above the upper weight limit for them. The Court dismissed this plea as well.
Counsel for the petitioners had argued that the airhostesses and the cabin crew members had cleared the medical fitness tests to be on flight duty. When their clients were declared medically fit to do flight duty, they could not be grounded on account of their being overweight. The decision was arbitrary, they argued.
Counsel for the airlines submitted that the petitioners were withdrawn from flight duty whey they failed to meet the minimum physical fitness standards.
Specified in contract
It was clearly mentioned in their contracts that their jobs could be terminated if they put on weight beyond the permissible limit. The counsel submitted that they had been grounded with the direction that they would not be put on flight duty even if they lost the weight they had gained.
Justifying the decision of the public sector airlines to put the overweight employees on ground duty to maintain its competitive edge vis-À-vis the private airlines, the Bench said: “Entry of private airlines in the business has resulted in severe competition, and the Indian Airlines has to meet this challenge by ensuring that its airhostesses and cabin crew members remained physically fit.”
On maintaining the physical fitness, the Bench said: “There has been much debate about skinny bodies vis-À-vis healthy bodies, but there is no scope for any debate on overweight people. It is universally accepted that overweight people have tendency to suffer from diseases.”
Excess money paid can be recovered from them.
Teri diwani – Classical Dance – Kathak – Anushri Nair
Classical Dance – Fusion
Teri diwani – Classical Dance – Kathak
Plan to issue probational driving licences
Plan to issue probational driving licences
By Ashfaq Ahmed and Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporters Published: June 05, 2008, 00:09
Dubai: Driving licences for new drivers could soon become valid for one year only instead of the current 10 years according to a new study.
Dubai Police’s Traffic Department and the Licensing Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) are studying the possibility of implementing the system of “probation driving licence” for new drivers.
Ahmad Bahrouzian, CEO of the agency, said the licensing agency has prepared this proposal. The aim is to qualify safe drivers, change the driving culture and reduce the number of accidents, as many of them are caused by new drivers.
He said the proposal has been sent to Dubai Police and the Interior Ministry for review and feedback.
According to the proposal, new drivers will receive driving licences valid for one year. The licence will be renewed every year for three years during which the behaviour and driving attitudes of the drivers will be monitored. After three years, the drivers will be given the driving licences valid for 10 years.
Vehicles older than 20 years may go off-road
Vehicles older than 20 years may go off-road
By Joy Sengupta (Our staff reporter) 5 June 2008
DUBAI — The registration of vehicles that have exceeded 20 years on the roads may not be renewed, according to an official of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
In a Press release yesterday, Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, stated that the Services Ministerial Council has approved of a motion of two decisions submitted by the RTA to the National Transport Authority.
“The first decision provided for reducing the maximum permissible gas emissions from vehicle exhausts. The policy calls for reducing carbon monoxide gases from 4.5 per cent to 2.5 per cent and hydrocarbon from 800ppm to 300ppm (parts per million). The second decision is related to banning registration and renewing registration of old light vehicles the life of which exceeds 20 years, provided the said period is further cut to 15 years by January 2010. It is also provided for banning the import of used light vehicles the life of which exceeds five years and used heavy vehicles the life of which exceeds seven years,” Al Tayer said.
However, the date of implementation of the new rule is yet to be decided as it is currently being discussed, sources say.
Earlier this year, the Dubai Municipality had conducted an ‘On Road Vehicle Emission Measurement Study’ where a US-based company which conducted the study suggested that a 10-year retirement for vehicles on Dubai roads was one of several feasible steps to reduce pollution.
The study had also revealed that the vehicle pollution in Dubai compared to American standards is around 13 per cent (for vehicles using petrol) whereas the pollution rate is 2.5 per cent in Virginia, US, and two per cent in Michigan.
The study by the Dubai Municipality revealed that six to 12 per cent of the vehicles registered in Dubai were harmful to the environment as they exceeded the permissible levels of emissions.
World environment day: E-waste a major challenge
World environment day: E-waste a major challenge
Thursday June 5 2008 09:29 IST Express News Service
KOCHI: It is World Environment Day on Thursday.
Recognising the rapid changes in climatic conditions as a major issue, the United Nations Environment Programme has come up with a slogan `Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy’ for World Environment Day 2008.
The United Nations has asked various countries and major companies to focus on reducing the emission of greenhouse gases.
Low carbon economies and lifestyles, alternative energy resources and forest conservation have been identified as the major areas that need concentration.
Burning of fossil fuels like coal and natural gas is found to be the major reason for the emission of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide.
E-waste is going to be the major challenge in the coming days. Irrational use of electronic equipment makes a sizable contribution to the challenge.
A number of studies on e-waste management have shown the gravity of the issue in major cities like New Delhi and Bangalore. The picture is not impressive in Kerala too.
“The emission of greenhouse gases like methane and carbon dioxide due to the burning of coal and natural gas is the major issue. Then there are these electricity and thermal plants at different parts of the state.
“The emission of carbon by vehicles make the issue more serious.We still do not have an effective mass transport system. Natural methane emission from the catchment area of mega dams has proved as serious as a large quantity of carbon emission,” said Society of Energy Engineers and Managers president C Jayaraman.
Plastic turns eco-friendly!
Plastic turns eco-friendly!
Thursday June 5 2008 00:00 IST Express Features
Even as another World Environment Day approaches, the global concerns of most environmentalists remain the same-growing pollution, global warming and that old villain that refuses to die or degrade, plastic.
The Government of Kerala banned plastics below 30 microns and encouraged the use of alternatives to plastic like paper, cloth and even jute. But none of them could replicate the sturdy utility of plastic.
Given the scenario, an alternative which has all the advantages of plastic and is also biodegradable, seemed the best answer and this is exactly what Kochi-based Biomate Enterprises is trying to market in Kerala.
OXO-biodegradable plastics are plastics with a very small amount of pro-degradant additive added during the manufacturing process.
This additive helps degradation, initially by oxidation and then enables the microorganisms to access the carbon and hydrogen in plastic, making it biodegradable.
While the process can take from a few months to a few years, it is accelerated by sunlight and continues as long as there is air.
The benefits of oxo-biodegradable plastic are many. Apart from being completely degradable, it can also be recycled.
It does not require to be segregated during waste collection and disposal. Since it releases carbon slowly, it also produces high quality compost.
Most alternatives to plastic are about 300 to 400 times more expensive to produce; the only extra cost to consider here is the cost of the additive.
When one adds the fact that pollution caused during production is negligible compared to the production of paPlastic turns eco-friendly!
Thursday June 5 2008 00:00 IST
Express Features
Even as another World Environment Day approaches, the global concerns of most environmentalists remain the same-growing pollution, global warming and that old villain that refuses to die or degrade, plastic.
The Government of Kerala banned plastics below 30 microns and encouraged the use of alternatives to plastic like paper, cloth and even jute. But none of them could replicate the sturdy utility of plastic.
Given the scenario, an alternative which has all the advantages of plastic and is also biodegradable, seemed the best answer and this is exactly what Kochi-based Biomate Enterprises is trying to market in Kerala.
OXO-biodegradable plastics are plastics with a very small amount of pro-degradant additive added during the manufacturing process.
This additive helps degradation, initially by oxidation and then enables the microorganisms to access the carbon and hydrogen in plastic, making it biodegradable.
While the process can take from a few months to a few years, it is accelerated by sunlight and continues as long as there is air.
The benefits of oxo-biodegradable plastic are many. Apart from being completely degradable, it can also be recycled.
It does not require to be segregated during waste collection and disposal. Since it releases carbon slowly, it also produces high quality compost.
Most alternatives to plastic are about 300 to 400 times more expensive to produce; the only extra cost to consider here is the cost of the additive.
When one adds the fact that pollution caused during production is negligible compared to the production of paper and cloth bags, biodegradable plastic clearly wins over other alternatives.
This kind of biodegradable plastic has already been used with some success in supermarkets in countries like the UK and Portugal. Major users include leading food chains like Pizza Hut and KFC.
Biomate Enterprises has sent a proposal to the State Pollution Control Board, but they have not yet received an official response. Biomate is planning to market its product with the help of big hotels, hospitals and supermarkets in the state. In fact, Best Bakers in the city is one of the first to start using OXO biodegradable plastics.
Hopefully others will follow the lead. For details, contact 6492728, 9249582728.
per and cloth bags, biodegradable plastic clearly wins over other alternatives.
This kind of biodegradable plastic has already been used with some success in supermarkets in countries like the UK and Portugal. Major users include leading food chains like Pizza Hut and KFC.
Biomate Enterprises has sent a proposal to the State Pollution Control Board, but they have not yet received an official response. Biomate is planning to market its product with the help of big hotels, hospitals and supermarkets in the state. In fact, Best Bakers in the city is one of the first to start using OXO biodegradable plastics.
Hopefully others will follow the lead. For details, contact 6492728, 9249582728.
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