From Nashik to Thiruvananthapuram: Mammoth truck covers 1,700km in 10 months

A 74-tyre truck carrying equipment weighing 70 tonnes lastly reached the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday 10 months after it started its journey from Maharashtra’s Nashik, round 1,700 km away, to the nation’s premier analysis institute. The lockdown imposed to examine the Covid-19 pandemic unfold from March 25 delayed its arrival by a month.

Usually, common vans cowl the space between Nashik and Thiruvananthapuram in 5 to seven days. The mammoth truck moved at a snail’s tempo with every of the 5 states it journeyed by making particular preparations for it. When it moved, escorted by police groups in every of the 5 states, the motion of different autos was stopped. In some locations potholed roads needed to be repaired, timber reduce and electrical poles eliminated to permit the truck, carrying an aerospace autoclave, to maneuver. Autoclaves are used to course of supplies needing publicity to elevated temperature and strain.

Subhash Yadav, an worker of a personal agency engaged in transferring the machine, stated the lockdown made their motion depressing. “In Andhra Pradesh, our vehicle was detained for a month due to the lockdown. Later our contract agency had to intervene. But still, it was a challenging task. Engineers and mechanics were there in our team of 30 which accompanied the Volvo FM series truck,” stated Yadav. They started their journey on September 1 final 12 months.

Yadav stated the equipment is 7.5 metres excessive and seven metres large. Since the chassis of the car carrying the equipment needed to be very robust, the truck virtually coated all the street at many locations. “In some places, roads were widened and trees were cut to make way for it. And at two places, special iron girders were put to strengthen bridges,” he stated.

Another crew member,stated on the situation of anonymity, “In Kerala, an aged lady came to us and told us better make a vaccine for Covid-19 than sending rockets. Most of us walked throughout, it was a challenging experience for us.”

A VSSC official stated the heavy machine couldn’t be dismantled. “The autoclave will be used to manufacture large aerospace products for various programmes and it is expected to be commissioned this month after making necessary modifications,” he stated.