Over 43,700 km of rural roads laid using waste plastic: Minister

New Delhi: Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that over 43,700 kilometres of rural roads have been laid using waste plastic under various verticals of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

In a written reply to a question, Paswan said the ministry issued a "Vision Document on New Technology Initiatives Guidelines-2022" to promote the adoption of new and green technologies in the laying of rural roads using waste and locally available materials under PMGSY.

Under the guidelines, states and union territories have to compulsorily use waste plastic in at least 70 per cent length out of the eligible proposed length involving the hot mix process in PMGSY roads, the minister said.

As of July 31, a total of 56,875 km of road work has been sanctioned using waste plastic under various interventions and verticals of PMGSY, out of which 43,700 km of road work has been completed, Paswan said.

The type of plastics to be used in the hot mix process and the required size are regulated as per "Guidelines for the use of waste plastic in hot bituminous mixes (dry process) in wearing courses" issued by the Indian Roads Congress.

"The performance evaluation of rural roads constructed with waste plastic was carried out by seven institutes under the supervision of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras.

"The study found that distresses such as ravelling, cracking, and potholes were significantly lower compared to conventional pavements," Paswan said.

He said Pavement Condition Index (PCI) values for waste plastic roads were found to be higher, indicating better overall surface condition.

"The analysis further showed that the maintenance of these roads can generally be deferred by about one year and that there is a marginal reduction in overall life cycle cost compared to conventional roads," Paswan added.