Maity (top) has gone the extra mile to ensure that there are no Nagapattinams to be wiped away by tsunami waves

Dhanbad, Dec. 5: Shibnath Maity, senior scientist of Central Mining Research Institute (CMRI), Dhanbad, received the prestigious Aryabhatta award on November 26 for developing the “tsunami shield”, an affordable and foolproof device to combat the natural calamity.

The tsunami, an undersea earthquake, had hit the South and South East Asian coastal regions on December 26, 2004, killing over 2,75,000 people, with thousands still missing.

T. Ramasami, secretary to the department of science and technology, the Union government, gave away the award to Maity on the concluding day of a national seminar on “Indian Innovation in Science Engineering and Technology 2006” at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) auditorium, New Delhi, held between November 24 and 26.

The Aryabhatta Award, named after the fifth century Indian astronomer and mathematician, is conferred by the Astronautical Society of India on scientists and researchers for their exceptional contribution to astronomical sciences.

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam received it in 1994 for his work on space science.

Returning from New Delhi, Maity said the shield developed, particularly to tide over the unpredictable tsunami, is a work of prolonged research and study at the CMRI.

Its details were conveyed through a scientific paper presentation at the seminar.

He added that it faced competition from 249 other such presentations from all over the country to be selected for the award.

“I had a feeling of immense loss after the tsunami hit the coastal areas, mainly those of Chennai and Andaman on December 26, 2004. It was only then that I started working on this life saving device, which not only assures safety but is also affordable,” the scientist said. It costs Rs 350 and can last for 20 years.

The shield weighs about 100 grams and can help a person up to 250 kg to float for hours, he added. It takes 15 seconds to wear and about the same time to take off.

Winner of National Design Award 2000, CSIR Technology Award 1995 and National Research and Development Corporation Award 1994, Maity has over 50 patents to his credit.