ONGC-funded robot for Thanjavur

THANJAVUR: In a bid to assuage the hurt feelings of the Cauvery delta farmers who do not want any oil or natural gas exploration to take place in the state's granary and who want the entire delta to be declared a 'protected agricultural zone', the public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has come forward to sponsor a robot that is said to be the future technology to remove the degrading practice of manual scavenging.

Thanjavur district collector Mr. A. Annadurai pressed into service-"Bandicoot"-a robot to clean underground drainage in the city corporation area on Friday.

He said that Rs 48.40 lakh worth robot will check and remove blockages in underground drainage by entering manhole, thus preventing sanitary workers from doing the hazardous job. Sanitary workers need not enter underground drainages to clear blocks.