The Ahmedabad Textile Industry Research Association (ATIRA) has come up with innovative products like textile reinforced concrete (TRC) which could substitute as cost effective building material and jute based composites for making ‘quick to install’ toilets which the institute plans to market through industry and government collaborations.
Having transformed from being an extension centre to industry to innovation centre of global repute, ATIRA has taken several initiatives in R&D and established four Centre of Excellence (COE): nano-web technology, geo-synthetics, composites and protective textiles. The institute is looking to provide technical textiles based applications for several government initiatives like Housing for all, Clean India, Make in India, Green Technologies and Better Infrastructure.
Under the centre of excellence (COE) for composites, ATIRA has developed products like TRC and jute based composites for making ‘quick-to-install’ toilets, apart from jute stick based particle board, light weight composites based CNG cylinder and other building materials.
Under geo-technical textiles COE ATIRA has recently taken up a project on the infrastructure development in the North Eastern Region. The region with tough terrains and with incessant rains is having severe problems of land slide, road blockage, water scarcity. Geo-technical textiles applications are the only solution to all the problems. ATIRA is also looking to work on projects of road construction, prevention of erosion of soil, and creation of water basins and reservoirs.
For instance, in the state of Manipur, four road construction projects in the tough terrains and eight water reservoirs are being taken up by ATIRA at a project outlay of Rs.427 crore from ministry of textiles.
