OCTOBER 19-20, 2012 - YMCA University of Science & Technology

Proceedings of the National Conference on
Trends and Advances in Mechanical Engineering,
YMCA University of Science & Technology, Faridabad, Haryana, Oct 19-20, 2012
5. New management Techniques
Production planning and control is an important activity in industrial engineering. Many skills for the
management of resources and products are coming up. But, the plight of the rivers like the great Yamuna and the
Ganges is not worth it. Just go and visit Yamuna in the summer and you will see the stinking black water where
even a bird won’t dip. By putting in the sewage into these rivers, we have deprived the common man of the
precious mineral water coming straight from the Himalayas. By allowing construction on the banks, a large
forest cover is being destroyed. By installing big hydro-power plants, the water head that takes the water with
sufficient momentum down the planes has been reduced. Isn’t it a big mismanagement The mechanical
engineers should come out of their dens of factories to manage these large natural resources. The solution has
been discussed ahead.
Solutions
The alternatives to the above trends in power, mobility on land, mass production machines, plastics, air and
space travel etc. are being discussed now. These do not have the problems mentioned above associated with
them. They are environmental friendly, use renewable sources of energy, human friendly and thus sustainable.
1. Alternative to power and automotives
There are two steps required to this problem. First is the use of the ox and the horse. A village properly
planned as per Vedic engineering can support 1000 oxen. If one ox produces one 8 KWH of energy in a day, it
makes 0.8 MWH for the village in a day. For one hundred thousand of villages this becomes 80,000MWH for
one day. That is a large amount. The ox’s input is grass which is renewable. It does not pollute and uses
minimum amount of oxygen. Instead its urine and excreta are also valuable fertilisers. Its body parts are also of
use after death. The horse is the most efficient engine with built in air bags, with vision and intelligence to stop
or by pass the anticipated accident. Its input is again renewable grass. Minimum oxygen requirement and no
pollution are its features. Solar power is also beaten by the ox and the horse. Efficiency of a good solar cell is
around 15%. The efficiency of the grass or the plants to convert solar energy to food energy is more than 90%.
The efficiency of the horse or the ox to convert this food energy into actual work energy is again more than 90%.
No heat energy or the vibrations are emitted to the environment. Isn’t it foolish on the part of man to abandon the
naturally available most efficient, non polluting, intelligent sustainable machines and feel proud that “I am
technologically advanced”. Instead he should put a label “I am a demon who has come to destroy you and
your environment”. Millions of people are dying or getting crippled due to accidents on roads. Certainly the
figure will come down drastically with the ox and the horse. The other advantage is that man likes greenery and
fresh air around him and not the concrete or steel jungle which has become necessary to boost the power and
locomotive industry.
The second necessary step is to reduce the energy requirement with proper village, town and city planning [4].
The town planning at present is faulty. A lot of the energy and time is being wasted in travelling from the place
of residence to the work place. Similar is the expenditure for movement within a city as it is too big. This has
sprung from the foreign rulers who wanted to rule from the central fortified places. Industrialisation is also
responsible. The vedic town planning (Vastu Sastra) limits the size of villages, towns and cities. The work place
and residence are at one location. Travel within a village, town or city can be easily done on foot or the chariot
[4]. The main roads run outside the towns and cities. This will bring down the energy expenditure, time wastage
and the requirement for fast moving automobiles. Proper town planning also solves most of the law and order
problems.
It is the basic requirement of the Vedic town planning to take care of the health, wealth and character of the
residents. The mechanical engineers have to rise from their factory planning of machines and layout to the town
planning. Improper planning has given rise to so many health problems and criminal activities.
2. Alternative to computer aided design and manufacturing
Instead of big machines small man operated or animal operated machines should be used [5]. Man is an
intelligent robot with vision, power of discretion and so many degrees of freedom. This will immediately
generate millions of jobs the world over. Dignity of man will be restored. The worker feels proud of his
indigenous work unlike the machine that frightens him of accident and his inability. Money and work places will
get decentralised. He can work right at his place. The tillers (in the absence of tractors), the weavers, the
cobblers, the potter makers, the smiths, the carpenters, the utensil makers, special designers etc. will all flourish
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