From the dusty corners of the Government Medical College Hospital here, 33 wheelchairs — old and rusty — were salvaged by the students of the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), to make them available for the use of poor patients.
The project was undertaken as part of Avishkaar 2014, a social outreach initiative of Tathva 2014, the annual techno-management festival of the institute.
Tathva beginsMeanwhile, Tathva 2014 was inaugurated by Bikash Sinha, physicist and professor of Homi Bhabha National institute, Mumbai, on the NIT-C campus on Thursday. The four-day festival will end on November 2.
New lookIt was around a month ago that a group of students from the institute transported a truck-load of dumped wheelchairs from the hospital to the mechanical lab of the NIT-C.
The fixing work — involving welding, wheel-realignment, and painting — was carried out there. “Some of them required major welding work while the others were given minor touch-ups,” said Ashik Joshy, technical team leader of Avishkaar.
The wheelchairs that sported a new look were handed over to the medical college hospital superintendent in the presence of the local MLA, A. Pradeepkumar, and a few hospital staff on Thursday.
The work was carried out by Aavishkaar managers P. Harikrishnan, M.T. Fasal, and Adhil Hameedh, under the sponsorship of Builders Association of India.
Third deed“This is the third such initiative as part of Avishkaar this year,” said Jacob Tony, media manager of Tathva. The students had recently taken up a project to electrify a tribal hamlet in Malappuram district.
Aavishkaar, according to Mr. Tony, is part of a humble effort from the student community to give something back to society.
“We are planning to undertake similar projects in other parts of the district as well,” he said.
