KMC to procure ‘mechanical mastic’ to repair main roads
Kolkata: With the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banning the use of normal mastic for road repairs, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will be procuring ‘mechanical mastic’ for repair works on main roads while the civic body is also to soon set up a plant for processing plastic mix material that is to be used for repair of smaller roads.
Addressing a press conference, Mayor Firhad Hakim said on Friday that the civic body has already started repairing several roads but regretted that many others are still in a battered condition.
The Mayor said that with NGT banning the use of normal mastic, the civic body is now struggling to look for an alternative material that ensures the rainfall.
“The rains are washing away the road tar. This is exposing the underlying stones. This did not happen in the case of mastic. Our hands are tied due to the NGT ban,” he remarked.
Hakim said KMC is now to procure a new technology from outside which is ‘mechanical mastic.’ However, he remarked that this material is costlier compared to the normal mastic which costs Rs 900/sqm.
“For mechanical mastic, the cost is approximately Rs 1300/sqm. Hence, we have decided we will use this material for repairing big roads. The main roads can be repaired with such a material once procured,” he said.
For smaller roads, he said that KMC has come up with a plastic-mix material.
“For trial runs this was used in few road works and has turned out to be efficient. We will continue to use this for small roads,” he suggested. The Mayor informed that soon KMC will also be setting up a plant by November to generate such a plastic mix material.
It is learnt that the roads department has already done a trial mix of “hot bituminous asphalt modified with plastic waste consisting of polypropylene (PP) passing 2.36 mm and retained at 600 microns”.
This mix was used at Netaji Subhas Road (Bakshi Bagan) in Ward 130 under Borough XIV, at the crossing of Remount Road, D H Road in Ward 79 under Borough IX.
