KMC to take up plastic paving of major roads across city
Times of India | 26 February 2025
12 Kolkata: KMC has decided to repair the city's major roads and relay the surface with recycled plastic hot mix, which is expected to be better-resistant to wear and tear, especially to the impact of rain, and ensure durability.
The civic body already paved lanes and fringe roads, including Bakshibagan Road in Behala, with recycled plastic, and buoyed by the success of the pilot project, it decided to take up arterial roads. "We tested the efficacy of the recycled plastic to weather rain, heat and cold after a stretch of Bakshibagan Road was paved with plastic hot mix. Our primary aim is to stop water seepage. As plastic is water-resistant, we expect better results and durability," said a KMC roads department official.
A KMC official said the civic body would manufacture plastic granules in large quantities at two hot-mix plants—Palmerbazar (Beliaghata) and Goragachha (Taratala). "We hope to collect sufficient plastic materials from households that can be reused to pave roads," said a KMC solid waste management department official.
In fact, it was in 2023, when the civic body took up a short stretch of DH Road—Majherhat Bridge to Kidderpore—and instead of conducting a patchwork, did a thorough repair and paved it with plastic hot mix. It gave the required road strength and durability, said an official. Happy with the result, the KMC is now set to use the technology on larger portions of DH Road. The civic body will start with repairs between Kidderpore and Ekbalpore, near St Thomas' School.
An official said the new paving scheme would be extended to major roads in north and central Kolkata as well, including CR Avenue, APC Roy Road, Bidhan Sarani, Bowbazar Street, College Street and Lenin Sarani. Restoration and relaying with plastic hot mix will also be used for south Kolkata roads, like Rashbehari Avenue, Gariahat Road, Gurusaday Dutta Road and Motilal Gupta Road. "The KMC embarked on the innovative project of coating roads with a special mixture that harnessed the power of recycled plastic. After a trial run on lanes in Behala, we decided to expand the work on a part of DH Road, closer to Mominpore. This stretch has been successfully paved with plastic as a key ingredient. Now we will take up similar work on several major roads," said a KMC roads department official.
Commuters from Joka, Behala, New Alipore and Mominpore, who regularly use DH Road and bear the brunt of the battered surface, hope for a smoother travel, once the project is completed.