KMC to set up state-of-the-art mastic plant in Sonarpur block

kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has identified a place near Chowbhaga in the outskirts of the city for setting up a state-of-the-art mastic plant. The place falls under Sonarpur block. The civic body will use German technology in the plant.

"We need to get the approval of the state Environment department and the state Finance department before starting work. The total project cost has been estimated at Rs 40 crore," Ratan Dey, Member Board of Administrators (KMC ), in-charge of Roads department, said.

Hot mix plants have been at the glare of the National Green Tribunal for the last three years due to pollution. The KMC had formed a Road Advisory Quality & Environment Committee to explore the ways of using environment friendly material as an alternative to hot mix for road construction and maintenance.

Apart from KMC, Public Works Department (PWD) and Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), there are officials of Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) and experts from IIT Kharagpur in the committee. A Germany-based company demonstrated the technology of the mastic plant before the committee on more than one occasion.

KMC has already set up an environment-friendly semi automatic batch mix plant at Goragacha Road in Taratala. The department has also identified another 5 bigha land at Bhangar block in South 24 Parganas building for another batch mix plant.

The eastern bench of the NGT in October 2018 had banned the use of hot mix plants for road construction in the city.

KMC on the basis of recommendations by West Bengal Pollution Control Board has taken steps for modernisation of the two hot mix plants located at Palmer Bazar near Entally and at Goragacha Road in Taratala and is still operating these two plants under the monitoring of NGT .

The production will be huge from this plant and not only KMC but all agencies like KMDA , HRBC, PWD that maintain roads in the city can use the infrastructure of this plant for repair of roads as and when required.

The machine for laying of asphalt can also be procured centrally for all the agencies.