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NHAI on Wednesday said it is exploring the use of phosphor-gypsum waste material, a by-product of fertilizer production, in the construction of national highway.

NHAI, along with the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers, is going to take up field trials on projects for use of phosphor-gypsum in the construction of national highway to achieve a circular economy in the use of gypsum.

An Indian fertilizer company has constructed a road using phosphor-gypsum which was evaluated by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). Based on their report, the Indian Road Congress (IRC) has accredited neutralized phosphor-gypsum waste material for road construction for three years, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said in a statement.

The fertilizer company and CRRI have been asked to take up field trials on an NHAI project to evaluate performance of phosphor-gypsum on a national highway and to generate confidence among various stakeholders on use of the waste material in highway construction.

NHAI is also encouraging use of waste plastic in road construction, which has already been tested successfully.

NHAI has been encouraging the innovative use of new materials and is focused on reducing the carbon footprint, enhancing durability and making construction more economical.

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An accomplishment towards achieving Aatmanirbhar Bharat has been made with the development of the world’s first bamboo-made crash barrier, which has been installed on the Vani-Warora Highway in Vidarbh, Maharashtra.

The 200-meter-long bamboo crash barrier, which has been named Bahu Balli, underwent rigorous testing at various government-run institutions such as the National Automotive Test Tracks (NATRAX) in Pithampur, Indore and was rated as Class 1 during the Fire Rating Test conducted at the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) in Roorkee, Ministry of Road and Highways said in a statement.

Additionally, it has also been accredited by the Indian Road Congress. The recycling value of the bamboo barrier is 50-70 per cent whereas that of steel barriers is 30-50 per cent, the statement said.

The bamboo species used in the making of this barrier is Bambusa Balcoa, which is treated with creosote oil and coated with recycled High-Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE).

This achievement, the Ministry said, is remarkable for the bamboo industry and India as a whole, as this crash barrier offers a perfect alternative to steel and addresses environmental concerns and their aftermath.

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The vehicle scrappage policy, urban transport initiatives and record infrastructure spending announced in the Union budget 2021-22 are expected to boost demand for trucks and buses, benefiting commercial vehicle (CV) manufacturers like Tata Motors Ltd, Ashok Leyland Ltd and Volvo Eicher Commercial Vehicle Pvt. Ltd.

CV sales, which have been falling since the collapse of Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd and revised load-carrying norms, were worsened by the covid-19 pandemic. Sales across categories declined by 28.7% to 7,17,688 units in FY20, while the same for medium and heavy commercial vehicles dropped by 42.4% to 2,24,806 units. In the April-December period last year, dispatches further declined by 37.2% to 3,58,203 units.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday outlined a vehicle scrappage scheme for CVs older than 15 years and personal vehicles older than 20 years, which will be detailed by the roads ministry later. The Union government will also spend â‚¹18,000 crore to introduce 20,000 new buses in cities, in collaboration with private companies. The record allocation of â‚¹1.18 trillion for infrastructure projects will also spur the demand for commercial vehicles.

Scrapping of older vehicles will create demand for new vehicles and a proposed green tax on vehicles will add pressure on fleet owners to replace their old trucks.

Companies such as Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd and Suzuki Motor Corp. have already invested in facilities to recycle vehicles.

According to Vipin Sondhi, managing director and chief executive, Ashok Leyland, the budget has several positive signals for the manufacturing and commercial vehicles sector, which are key to the economy and there are four specific areas which provide an impetus to the sector.

“The commitment to augment our country’s road infrastructure with projects for building 8,500km of highways and economic corridors augurs well for surface and road transport. The â‚¹18,000-crore scheme to augment public transport in urban areas with the addition of 20,000 new buses in a PPP (public-private partnership) model would ensure cleaner and efficient public transportation and ease congestion,” Sondhi added.

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Ceat Ltd, the flagship company of RPG Group on Wednesday announced Rs 1200 fresh investment into expansion of truck and bus radial capacity even as the second wave of pandemic has created a short term disruption.

The fresh investment approved by the board is over and above Rs 3500 crore investment announced by the company a few years ago. A part of this investment will go into expansion of the existing plant in Halol, Gujarat and the balance money will be used for setting up a brownfield facility in Chennai – company’s base for car radial tyres

Anant Goenka, MD of Ceat Tyres told ET, the company’s truck radial facility in Halol, on the outskirts of Baroda is expected to be utilised in a year’s time and then by then it would need a fresh capacity in 18 months – hence the company has taken the board approval.

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Renewal of Fitness Certificates (FCs) of around 3,000 trucks in Tamil Nadu has been allegedly hit due to a row over reflective tapes.

All commercial vehicles including trucks should mandatory install reflective tapes on the front, rear and both the sides of the vehicle.

These tapes should adhere to Automotive Industry Standards (AIS) 089 and 090, according to Motor Vehicle Rules. It is also mandatory to get the installations certified and obtain ‘test’ and ‘conformity of production’ certificates.