Srinagar, Apr 27 (IANS): As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, some Kashmiri innovators and students have come forward to provide local solutions to the challenges thrown by the Covid-19 outbreak by designing response mechanism devices.

Cheap and not complicated to handle, some of the items designed by them include ventilators. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, drones and masks. Most of the items have been made using scrap materials.

"We designed a ventilator and got all of its parts made from scrap bought from a scrap seller, except the air pipe and the pump pipe, because people who use it should not get sick from dirty materials. This has been designed to build local ventilators for the people in case they get infected by Covid-19 and get admitted to hospitals. It can be used in the rural areas as well, as no fancy electronics are involved in this," said one innovator who has made the ventilator.

"We have made masks, which kill all the bacteria and absorb dust and impurities," said another innovator.

Deputy Commissioner of Srinagar, Shahid Choudhary, has appreciated the hard work of the innovators, saying efforts are being made to build on the ideas and take them to the next level.

"They have been successful in giving a local solution. It will be seen in the future which of these models qualify for the professional and technical tests and can be brought under actual production," Choudhary said.

Choudhary in a tweet also appreciated the innovators who designed the models.

"Coronavirus pandemic throws new challenges every day which call for emergent response. Students/innovators in Srinagar designed a host of models. From Ventilators to PPEs, Drones to Masks. Rewarded for excellence. Stakeholders to go ahead," Choudhary tweeted.

Kashmiri innovators clearly need the encouragement to build on their ideas and to improvise them further.