Chairman J&K Pollution Control Committee, Suresh Chugh, today reviewed the progress on the construction of ‘Plastic Roads’ in Jammu as a flagship project and a key initiative towards eco-friendly disposal of plastic waste.The meeting was attended by B.M. Sharma, Member Secretary, J&K PCC; Yash Pal Jadon, Project Director National Highway Authority of India and Dr. Syed Nadeem Hussain, Regional Director Jammu.The Chairman J&K PCC asked Director NHAI to identify more stretches of National Highway that could be taken up for the construction of ‘Plastic Roads’ around Jammu city as a Pilot Project, which could then be replicated in other districts of the U.T of J&K as well. He assured NHAI of providing all technical help and making available the required plastic (seized polythene) for the construction of the road on Pilot Project basis.Director NHIA, Jadon assured the Chairman of identifying the road stretches which could be taken up for construction as the Plastic Roads and making all logistic arrangements for making the joint initiative of J&K PCC and NHAI successful.
It is pertinent to mention that Indian Road congress has already issued guidelines for construction of Plastic Roads across the country and has also set specific protocols for the same. It is pertinent to mention that construction of Plastic roads is a novel concept, which helps in eco- friendly disposal of plastic waste, which is a major environmental hazard, and it reduces the raw material used in the construction of roads by up to 10%. Further, the plastic roads are much more durable and have longer life than normal bitumen roads, as they withstand wet conditions better.The Member Secretary informed that one 5 KM stretch of road was constructed at Kunjwani by NHAI using plastic waste. But there is a need to have more such plastic roads in the union territory.The Chairman stressed that this innovative step taken by J&K PCC in collaboration with NHAI shall go a long way in preserving the fragile eco-system of J&K, as well as setting precedence for future road construction and other related infrastructure projects in the U.T.The Chairman also brought to the notice of the National Highway authorities, the pollution caused due to construction of the National Highway and dumping of muck directly into the water bodies. He informed that recently on one such occasion, the NHAI was imposed a penalty of 2 crore in Ramban Banihal section. He said that the NHAI should have proper checks and balances and should have eco-friendly approval while constructing roads.