Road projects to create a Rs2,128-crore market for geotech industry by 2012
23 Sep 2009
The textile ministry expects the national highway projects and the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) together to give a potential market of Rs2,128-crore for the country's geotech industry.
The geotech industry, which includes geo textiles, geogrids, geonets, geomembranes, geocomposites, etc, will have a business potential of Rs1,260 crore in the upgradtion of the 21,000km national highway, Bhupendra Singh, joint secretary in the ministry of textiles, said in New Delhi today.
The country has a road network of 33,00,000 km, of which national highways, state highways and expressways account for 70,548, 131,98 km and 200 km, respectively, he told a conference on geotextiles.
Under the Bharat Nirman component of the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), 24,000 km of roads will be laid in 2009-10 and Geotech will have a market potential Rs868 crore, Singh said.
He said the government has proposed spending to the tune of Rs3,76,500 crore ($78.5 billion) for development of road infrastructure during the 11th Plan period and the government expects the technical textile industry to shape up to exploit the potential.
Sudripta Roy, secretary-general of the International Jute Study Group (IJSG), said there is a need to maintain the jute supply chain, if the industry is to exploit the opportunity thrown up by increased global awareness about environmental sustainability.