Ghazipur Mandi waste to be used for highways construction: Nitin Gadkari

New Delhi: Solid waste from Ghazipur mandi in the national capital will be used in construction of highways, while plans are afoot for landscaping of two peripheral expressway projects worth Rs 8,037 crore, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

"Eastern and Western bypasses, which the government plans to build in 400 days will be the first pilot projects and architects will design beautification of these. This will involve landscaping and other works," the Road Transport and Highways Minister said here on the sidelines of an event to launch plantation drive under National Green Highways Mission.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of these two projects last year with a combined length of 271 km last year.

Gadkari also asked the Haryana government to come forward for the venture saying that the projects will be implemented in such a fashion that driving will be a pleasure through these roads as is the case in various countries.

He said the projects when complete will ease congestion in Delhi and reduce its pollution by at least 50 per cent.

The Eastern Peripheral Expressway will be 135 km long and cost Rs 5,763 crore while the 136 km Western Peripheral Expressway will cost Rs 2,274 crore.

The minister also said that to minimise pollution in Delhi, NHAI will utilise the waste from Ghazipur in construction of highways. The famous Ghazipur mandi, which supplies vegetables and fruits to a large portion of Delhi and adjoining areas, is known as a major contributor to air pollution in the region because of the landfill gases from the garbage dump caused by the waste from the market.

NHAI is already utilising fly-ash up to 30 per cent of earth filling in the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and using other slag materials elsewhere.

Gadkari said the government had entrusted the assignment of technically verifying whether Solid Waste Material generated from Municipal/city waste can be utilised for highway construction to Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI).

He said the report suggest it can be utilised by segregating the waste.

"Our department has taken a good initiative in Ghazipur. Plastic, glass, bottle, garbage these all will be segregated. I had a a talk with Delhi Chief Minister and sought Delhi government's cooperation," he said.

Earlier CSIR and CRRI had conducted a study by collecting 70 tonnes of municipal solid waste from different locations of 5/10/15 years old from Ghazipur Land fill site of Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

It recommended that the municipal solid waste contains about 65 to 70 per cent of soil components which can be used in embankment construction after segregation.