Stepping Towards Environment Friendly Roads: Government-Initiatives in India

Road construction is a lengthy process that takes a long time for completion and has a variety of environmental concerns that, if ignored, can have negative effects. Additionally, since the raw materials used in road construction are typically putrescible and their extraction releases pollutants that have a negative impact on the environment, it can be expensive and require a lot of raw materials. Therefore, a phenomenal and ongoing increase in highway and all road construction throughout India under the current leadership has attracted the attention of various environmental critics. Recent international conflicts have raised market prices for many of these raw materials, but historical incidents have also demonstrated how such conflicts can disrupt the supply chain in global markets. In order to address this issue, the Indian government has implemented a number of initiatives through the MoRTH and other departments to ensure that the nation’s infrastructural development isn’t brought to a standstill. This article discusses the challenges that the government has to face in infrastructural development and the initiatives that MoRTH has taken, such as dredging, the use of repurposed and alternative materials, and the use of precast panels for building roads and highways.