The Hindu Business Line : Prithvi 2005 to showcase electric auto models in Thiruvananthapuram

ENVIRONMENT-friendly models of four-, three- and two-wheeler vehicles that run on electricity will be showcased at the Prithvi 2005 - global eco-friendly summit that begins here on Saturday.

Mr Sudarsan Maini, Chairman of the Maini Group, which manufacturs electric cars, will unveil the Reva at the exposition of eco-friendly products and technologies to be held alongside. The Mahindras will showcase an electric three-wheeler, while Planet International will put on show an electric bike.

Reliance LPG is set to announce the launch of its retail outlet, the first of its kind in the State, during the summit.

Dr C. Suresh Kumar, Secretary, Organising Committee, Prithvi 2005, said here that the 10-day summit will feature addresses by distinguished speakers such as Ms Kapila Vatsayan, Chairperson, Asia Project, India International Centre, New Delhi, and Mr M.C. Mehta, well-known environmentalist.

Prithvi 2005 is an initiative of the Swadeshi Science Movement, a non-government organisation. The Governments of Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are major partners of the summit that seeks to bring together the entire green lobby from India and abroad on a single platform.

According to Prof M.G.K. Menon, former minister of state for science and technology and Chairman of the Organising Committee, Prithvi 2005 will represent a worthy successor to the Rio Summit and act as a constructive precedent to the Stockholm Initiative slated for later this year.

In terms of the broad base of its participation ranging from small businesses to international corporates, Prithvi 2005 will have few parallels, Prof Menon said.

Relevance of biodiesel as a fuel for the future will be explored along with the scope that the jatropha plant offers. Ms Manju Sharma, former secretary of the department of biotechnology, Government of India, will be the keynote speaker for the session.

Deliberations on eco-friendly transportation sector will feature addresses by, among others, Mr K.L. Thapar, Chairman, Asia Institute of Transport Development, New Delhi; Mr B. P. Chandrasekharan, National Rural Road Development Agency, New Delhi; Commr R. M. Nair, Inland Waterways Authority of India; Mr Y. P. Anand, former chairman, Railway Board; Mr E. Sreedharan, Chairman, Delhi Metro and Mr Rajaraman, Chairman, Konkan Railway.

Experiments in transportation and usage of eco-friendly fuels in Pakistan will be another attraction of the session. Delegates from countries such as Nepal, Senegal, Iran and Ghana also are participating in the event.

The non-conventional energy sector will see the following take the podium; Mr V.S. Varma, Director-General, Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Union Ministry of Power; Mr V. Reghuraman, Senior Advisor, Energy and Technology, Confederation of Indian Industry, Gurgaon; Dr P. Venkita Ramana, Director, Clean Energy Group, Winrock International, US, and Dr Binu Parthan, Deputy Director, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, Vienna.

Tribal people from Arunachal Pradesh will display their agricultural produce at the summit. More than 500 stalls earmarked for exhibition of various eco-friendly products have been sold out. Publishing houses of environment related books would have a separate stall for themselves.

Other major institutional presence in the summit will include the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Coconut Development Board, the Kerala Science Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE), Tata BP Solar, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission and Konkan Railways.

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