TIME TO HIT THE ROAD

A speeding up of roads and highways construction is helping equipment makers quell some of the blues of the past few months

- MOLLY R

Road construction in India happens on a large scale. MoRTH and NHAI are the two organisations leading this progress. Over the years, India has seen a sea change in the way infrastructure projects are built. Though roads in India may not be the best as per expectations, there is an inclination to adopt new methodologies with passing time.

Ramesh Palagiri, MD & CEO, Wirtgen India, says, “In the last two years, NHIA, the contractors and consultants have been more receptive to use new technologies. Some of the new age technologies being used are soil stabilisation or recyclers as it helps reduce the quantity of aggregates needed for building roads. Second is using high compaction as on highways they help to make the shape of the road so that it leaves no water. We are also talking to authorities and customers, consultants and contractors more importantly, encouraging them to doing a two layer concreting.”

Jaikumar Kamath, head, road machinery, L&T Construction & Mining Machinery, has an interesting take. According to him, “The major challenges faced by the road sector relate to land acquisition and shifting of utilities rather than the type of machines to be used. The latest models of earthmoving equipment are already available in India - hydraulic excavators for bulk earthmoving, dozers, graders, wheel loaders, dump trucks and tippers, vibratory compactors, crushers, and asphalt pavers.”