Government mulls concrete use for expressways: Kamal Nath
15 Jan 2010
Road transport and highways minister Kamal Nath said at a seminar on Thursday that the government would likely consider use of cement to build certain sections of expressways in the country.
The government plans to build 18,637km of expressways at a cost of over $100 billion.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the National Seminar on Concrete Highway Projects, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry, Nath said, ''It is viable to build greenfield roads with concrete. So use of cement is appropriate in expressways as they are greenfield. However, it may depend on the location and the projected traffic.'' Nath is likely to discuss use of cement in road projects when he meets all state transport ministers next month.
Road transport and highways secretary Brahm Dutt, however, blamed cement manufacturers for reneging on price commitments for cement supplies to Golden Quadrilateral Projects.
''Cement industry must look inward before starting a long-term relationship with road sector. It should not be a case where cement industry now wants to supply cement to road sector as demand in construction sector is down,'' Dutt said.
The secretary also blamed the cement industry for not maintaining the quality of cement in certain road projects.