Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Monday (19 July) said that so far, 703 km length of National Highways have been constructed using waste plastic.

Indian Roads Congress (IRC) has formulated guidelines for using waste plastic in hot bituminous mixes for wearing courses.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has issued guidelines for mandatory use of waste plastic in periodic renewal coat of pavement on National Highways and in wearing course of service roads within 50 km periphery of urban areas with a population of five lakhs more.

Minister Gadkari also informed the Rajya Sabha that the implementation of seven expressways having a length of 2,507 km had been taken up, and out of them, 440 km has been completed.

In a written reply, he said the release of retention money in proportion to the work already executed, an extension of time to contractors, direct payment to approved sub-contractor and waiver of penalty for delay in submission of performance security are some relief measures provided to contractors to mitigate the delay and ease the financial situation.

Minister said that as part of Green National Highway Corridors Project (GNHCP), 781 km length of various National Highways passing through Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh would be upgraded.

“Out of a total length of 781 km, work on 287.96 km having a civil cost of Rs 1,664.44 crore has been awarded. The scheduled date of completion is December, 2025,” he added.