The Hindu Business Line : ICF delivers self-propelled vehicle to Defence Ministry

THE Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Perambur, has delivered to the Defence Ministry a self-propelled vehicle, which will be used for "strategic deployment." Called the "jet deflector crane car," the vehicle was flagged off from the ICF by the Minister of State for Railways, Mr R. Velu.

The Minister declined to give further details of the vehicle saying, "It is very strategic and important for the Defence, and even we do not know its usage."

Mr Y.P. Pathak, Director, Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO), also declined to give details of the vehicles stating "It was very important system for the Defence. I cannot tell anything more."

According to Mr Velu, the finalisation of the design of this complicated vehicle took nearly three years, as it needed several rounds of discussions and inputs at various stages from the DRDO and Railway Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow.

The ICF will manufacture three more such vehicles before March 2006 at a cost of Rs 6.4 crore, Mr Velu told newspersons.

The rail coach manufacturer has in the past produced 13 specialised military kitchen cars for the Defence Ministry, and has an order for 14 more at a cost of Rs 9.76 crore. These vehicles would be manufactured by March 2006, he said.

For the year ending March 2006 the target for ICF was to manufacture 1,093 coaches. So far it has produced 580 coaches, and is likely to reach 1,100 coaches. The production capacity of ICF will be increased to 1,250 by 2008-09 from the present 1,100 coaches, and necessary projects worth Rs 120 crore are in progress, according to a press release issued by ICF.

Some of the innovative ideas under consideration by the Railway Ministry for ICF include manufacture of stainless steel coaches for aesthetic and anti-corrosion features, bio-toilets, machinery and plant programme, modernising old machines annually costing Rs 50 crore for the next three years, says the release.

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