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An AI-enabled robotic trash boat prepared by the experts of Center for Innovation Policy and Social Change (CIPSC) to accelerate the work being done to clean the Gomti river was operated at Gaughat, in front of the chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra on Tuesday.

The robotic boat would be handed over to the Lucknow Municipal Corporation after the 30-day trial period.

CIPSC director Karishma Sabharwal said that the indigenously built automated robotic boat was a zero-carbon emission boat, powered by solar energy. “The boat has a front facing camera which detects and collects the plastic/hyacinth/other waste in water. The small net in the boat is capable of fishing out the minutest of river waste which gets collected in the rear storage through the boat’s conveyor belt,” Sabharwal said.

At present the boat’s rear storage capacity is 200 kg and is expandable up to 1000 kg. This automated robotic boat will be handed over to the Municipal Corporation after the completion of the 30-day trial period, Sabharwal said.

The occasion was a clean Gomti campaign under Puneet Sagar Abhiyan organised jointly by the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, NCC Directorate and Lok Bharati Sansthan at Gau Ghat under Swachhta Pakhwada.

While participating in this campaign the CS directed the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) to develop an ‘upvan (park)’ near the Gau Ghat.

“We worship the river Gomti, Lucknow’s lifeline, during Chhath puja. We need water for worship. It is our life and the vision of a clean India will be realised only when people participate in this campaign for clean rivers,” he said.

“One should take inspiration for cleanliness from the Prime Minister who started the Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014 as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. Today people are now aware about cleanliness. Public participation is very important in this cleanliness drive. People should neither spread dirt nor allow anyone else to spread it,” the CS said.

He said that today we can live a good and disease-free life by avoiding many diseases by respecting our environment. He said that good health is possible only when our environment is pollution free and clean. Today, our Uttar Pradesh has reached the top-5 in the case of Swachh Survekshan. This became possible only when the government employees started working in coordination with the people.

“Today is World Tourism Day which is being celebrated globally with the aim to promote rural and community tourism. Clean environment is something which also promotes tourism,” he said.

Mayor Sanyukta Bhatia, district magistrate Suryapal Gangwar, MD Jal Nigam Anil Kumar, municipal commissioner Inderjit Singh, additional director general NCC, Major General Sanjay Puri, Group Commander Brigadier Ravi Kapoor, technical expert, CIPSC Dhirendra, Naveen Kumar and others were present on the occasion.

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