In a bid to improve the quality of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of road projects, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is expected to allow international firms to participate in the process. This comes after Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed disappointment over the quality of DPRs in road construction.
Speaking at the International Conference on Asian Scenario on Infrastructural Development in Nagpur, Gadkari stressed improving the DPR quality. The Union Minister also focused on reducing the production cost of road projects.
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Addressing the conference, the Minister said, “I am in the mood to take a decision to allow international companies to make DPRs and give them a priority, though I am not of that opinion, but because of not-so-good DPRs, a lot of problems are being faced. Everywhere there is cost escalation,” reports PTI. Gadkari also asked to use agriculture by-products and biomass in road and highway construction work.
The government is also focusing on the use of waste material to build ecologically sustainable National Highway Infrastructure in the country.
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For this, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) along with the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, is taking up field trials on NHAI projects for use of Phosphor-Gypsum in the National Highway construction to achieve a circular economy in the use of Gypsum.
Apart from this, the NHAI is also encouraging the use of waste plastic in the construction of road projects. Several studies have established that roads built using plastic waste are durable and sustainable. It also increases the life of the bitumen. The construction of one kilometer of a 4-lane highway helps in the disposal of around seven tons of plastic waste.