India: NHAI supported highways to use cement

Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said all new highway projects supported by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will use cement concrete.

Gadkari said that the current rate of cement per bag is about INR350 (US$5.53), but his Ministry has located a supplier who will sell cement at INR120/bag (US$1.89/bag), excluding taxes and transport. The Maharashtra Government and local municipal bodies have also been advised to use the cheaper cement, he said.

Gadkari said that the planned target of increasing the speed of highway construction to 30km per day will be achieved within 18 months as work on 95 per cent of 190 road projects, which had stalled for various reasons, have now restarted, he said.

Gadkari added that the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-17) would soon be converted into a four-lane concrete road. Work has commenced but there are problems relating to land acquisition. The Maharashtra Government’s intervention has been sought to resolve the matter. In future, no highway work will commence unless 80 per cent of the land acquisition is complete, he said.