Rachit Agarwal, Director, Truly Pest Solution Pvt. Ltd
Can manual inspection of rail facilities for rodents be done away with? With his newly launched Ti Cam system, Rachit Agarwal, Director, Truly Pest Solution Pvt. Ltd (Krishi Rasayan Group) believes so.
Finding a rat scampering from under one berth to another, or rummaging through spilled food in the middle of the night is a frightening and unpleasant experience for any passenger. And even though electrical panels of coaches may be protected with anti-rodent coatings, the chances of wires being chewed through still exist.
Currently, pest management companies carry out pest control activities before and after a journey; during the journey itself, rodents have free reign. What is needed is a system to detect rodents during the journey, so that they may be conclusively tackled on-board and en route.
Ti-Cam is the solution that the Railways has been seeking. It is a 24-hour security system against rodents, consisting of a camera installed inside a rodent bait station which actively monitors the inward and outward movement of
all rodents. Even in the relatively little light available inside bait stations, the camera can capture rodent activity, which is transmitted in real-time to the on-board housekeeping staff.
Photo Evidence
The evidence of rodent activity inside the bait box will be sent to a gateway. Every camera has a gateway that is connected to a cellular network which is provided by the company. This photographic evidence is shared immediately, creating conditions for an immediate response. In fact, such a notification can be sent minutes before the rodent moves out of the bait box, giving the technician time to reach the mapped bait box and tackle the rodent according to SOPs. Instead of responding to a complaint at the end of the journey, the technician can respond in real-time.
“As a service provider, we provide a ready-to-use gateway which is pre-installed with a SIM card. No design intervention is needed by the Railways; our solution is compatible with all kinds of rodent bait stations and works automatically, without the need for constant supervision.”
Reduces Manpower
With a digital detection system, the weekly or monthly inspection of coaches by personnel becomes obsolete; at the same time, rodent surveillance is increased. Ti-Cam compiles the data gathered from coaches (and stations) and creates a trend analysis report to determine which train (or station) has a high level of rodent infestation, and which has little to none, thus allowing optimisation of manpower.
Sustainable Investment
The system comes with mesh security, and each gateway can connect up to 100 boxes that are placed 90 feet apart. No electricity is consumed; gateways are powered by batteries that have a 90 day life.
Since the system is connected online, the back office team will periodically update it as and when upgrades come in; no in-person upgrades are necessary.
Clear Advantages
This system enables faster root cause analysis and reduces business disruption due to manual inspections. A VIP
portal will allow the Railways to check anytime if the photo evidence is relevant or not. There is no exposure of passengers to chemicals whatsoever, and turnaround time is reduced as well.