Mehsana Resident Comes Up With Solar Rickshaw Palanpur: As his small toy-like solarpowered tricycle passes through the streets and bazaars of Mehsana with his three children seated snugly behind him under a canopy, loud cheers are heard from passersby. Everyone seems to love the novel contraption moving smoothly on the roads. “Even the traffic policemen wave at us and at times give us money,” said Shamsuddin Ansari, the owner of this new solar rickshaw. He is a native of Amhera village in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh now settled in Mehsana. “We are poor and cannot afford to drive costly vehicles. This is the cheapest mode of transport and eco-friendly too. I made it from the junk collected from different places including Delhi, Ghaziabad, Kolkata and Mehsana. The solar panel was gifted by a friend in Delhi,” he said. When asked about his inspiration, he said, “I had gone to Delhi where my friend runs a company that manufactures solar heaters, batteries etc. While talking to him Isuddenly thought why not try and make a simple mode of transport that can be helpful for the poor like me.” Ansari’s zeal and innovative spirit did the rest. “Right from childhood I have been fond of assembling parts of machinery that are different and workable. This rickshaw is born out of that desire. It is simple in its construction and driven by a solar-powered battery. All other parts are nothing but junk,” he said. The rickshaw can carry nearly 250 kg of load. The battery has sufficient storage capacity and the vehicle can run even in cloudy weather for a couple of days. “The tricycle can be used to commute small to medium distances and its top speed is 45 km per hour. If other cities can have solar rickshaws why can’t we?” he said. However, he has a complaint. “Other state governments help by providing subsidy to poor rickshaw pullers but here I am dependent on charity to make both ends meet. If Gujarat government gives me sufficient encouragement I can show how the cheapest mode of solar rickshaw transport can be realized. It can be further modified with more facilities at a cost not exceeding Rs 1 lakh,” he said.