Government Charts Sustainable Course For Highway Construction, To Promote Green Mobility

During the Mint Sustainability Summit 2023 in New Delhi on 23 August, Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for road transport and highways, highlighted the union government's focus on sustainable construction models and practices.

He emphasised that the government's push for infrastructure growth in the country includes a strong emphasis on sustainable construction of roads and highways. The aim is to protect the ecology and promote green mobility.

Nitin Gadkari also shared the achievements of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government, stating that since 2014, the national highway network in India has grown by approximately 86,000 km.

Currently, India's national highway network is the second largest in the world, spanning over 1.46 lakh km, just behind the US.

In his address, Gadkari mentioned several materials that the government has adopted for road construction, such as fly ash, rubberised bitumen, polymer-modified bitumen, and steel slack.

He also highlighted the Green Highway Policy 2015, which has led to the planting of around 3.8 crore trees along the national highways.

To further protect the ecology and environment, the minister announced plans to develop a specialised contractor for tree transplantation. This step is seen as crucial in ensuring the preservation of trees during infrastructure development.

Additionally, Gadkari reiterated his support for the use of ethanol, methanol, bio-diesel, and bio-CNG as sustainable alternatives for mobility.

To reduce fatalities, an initiative has been implemented to use bamboo crash barriers along highways. This groundbreaking project has been successfully executed on a 200-m section of the Vani-Warora highway in Maharashtra.

It has passed all the necessary trials and tests conducted by the institute in Indore. The highway connects the Chandrapur and Yavatmal districts in Maharashtra. The use of bamboo not only provides an alternative to steel but also addresses environmental concerns.

A policy has been introduced to mandate the minimum use of 25 per cent precast components in national highways, expressways, and centrally sponsored infrastructure projects. This initiative will result in cost and time savings, as well as ensure the utilisation of high-quality raw materials.

Efforts are being made to enhance infrastructure in the national capital and create dust-free roads. The government has devised a Rs 65,000-crore 'Delhi Decongestion Plan', with approximately Rs 25,000 crore of work already completed and the remainder in progress.

Furthermore, upcoming projects worth nearly Rs 6,000 crore will be undertaken, as per the Mint report.

The comprehensive plan encompasses 16 projects, including the nearly 80 per cent complete Dwarka Expressway.

Additionally, there is a possibility of allocating an additional Rs 1,500 crore to make roads in the national capital dust-free, as well as improve the landscape and drainage systems surrounding the road infrastructure.

The national capital has experienced several instances of water logging this year due to heavy rains. In light of this, plans are being made to address the issue.