KOLKATA: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is mulling the use of coal mix as an alternative to hot mix technology for road repair. A private company that has been successfully using coal mix for road repair at various levels made a presentation before the engineers of KMC's Road department on Thursday.
The move comes after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently rejected the civic body's plea to use hot mix for road repair and warned to fine Rs 5 lakh if it flouted the order.
The NGT for nearly a year has been urging KMC as well as the Public Works Department (PWD) to look for alternative means that are less detrimental to pollution.
"A private company has demonstrated before us as to how coal mix technology could be used for road repair. Our engineers will discuss over the same and analyse the pros and cons of the technology. A decision would be taken only after a detailed discussion," Member Mayor-in-Council (Roads), KMC Ratan Dey said.
The KMC has also written to its mother organisation — PWD regarding their idea of using coal mix for road repair.
It may be mentioned that hot mix was banned in Delhi in November 2015 and a number of states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala among others have done away with it and are using alternative technologies for road repair.
Environment activist Subhas Datta, who had moved the NGT against hot-mix plants in the middle of the city at places like Taratala and Palmer Bazar, said the plants needed to be moved out on the outskirts — where population density would be lower. He also pleaded for a technology upgrade so that the fumes released were less toxic.