Concrete

Concrete steps

Published

12 years ago

June 30, 2014

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Finally, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry is moving in the direction we have long been waiting for. With the Union Road Transport, Highways and Shipping minister, Nitin Gadkari, committed to building better infrastructure with the right material, the industry can now see good days ahead.

Concrete roads cost almost just as much as laying bitumen roads and they last longer too. Concrete roads have a life expectancy of 20-30 years, without any need for relaying. Bitumen roads, at their theoretical best value, can survive for 5 years without repair. Do we need any other reason to opt for concrete roads? Why then have we been postponing this much needed shift? While developed countries on an average have 30 per cent of their road network in concrete, we are still at 2 per cent.

Even after 65 years of independence, the country is still relying on obsolete conventional bitumen pavement technology. These roads eat away huge funds in their regular maintenance, which otherwise would have been used for addition of new network of roads and creating new capital assets. About 70 per cent of the bitumen requirement for the road works in India is met through imports, costing huge sums of forex to the nation. On the other hand, cement an indigenous product of international quality is available in plenty in India. The present cement capacity is 360 mtpa, estimated to increase to about 700 mtpa by 2022, which will comfortably meet all the domestic cement demand.

Is it just the lack of political will and inefficiency? Or is it the scope of corruption available in laying bitumen roads that has kept the nation in a pothole? Most bitumen roads require a fresh layer in a year or two. And that works out very well for the bitumen road contractors.

Profit earned in laying one km of a tar road is almost four times of that earned in laying a concrete road. Plus, tar roads require relaying, thus assuring repeat business to the contractor. The economics here is very obvious and the road ministry is taking a bold step in going against this babu-contractor nexus.

Concrete

Cement Firms to Invest Rs. 130 bn in Green Energy by FY28

Cement companies plan to expand clean energy capacity to 6 GW by FY28

Published

2 days ago

September 17, 2026

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India’s major cement companies are set to raise their clean energy capacity to 6 GW by March 2028 from around 4 GW at the end of March 2026, according to ratings agency ICRA. The planned expansion is expected to involve investments of Rs. 130 bn over the next two years.

The additional capacity could generate annual savings of Rs. 62 bn to Rs. 67 bn, resulting in an estimated payback period of 1.8 to 2.2 years. Cement is an emission-intensive industry, and leading producers have established net-zero roadmaps covering the next 15 to 20 years.

The calcination process accounts for 57 to 60 per cent of the sector’s total emissions, while fuel combustion contributes 27 to 30 per cent and electricity consumption accounts for 10 to 13 per cent. ICRA said the figures highlighted the need for a broad decarbonisation strategy involving green power, blended cement, alternative fuels and improvements in clinker efficiency.

Green energy is considered one of the most commercially attractive decarbonisation options because it can reduce emissions while lowering operating costs. Every 5 per cent increase in green power replacement can reduce power and fuel costs by Rs. 15 to Rs. 16 per tonne. A 25 per cent replacement level could therefore save Rs. 75 to Rs. 80 per tonne and expand operating margins by 140 to 160 basis points.

Cement producers are also assessing carbon capture, utilisation and storage, although high implementation costs, energy requirements and limited transport and storage infrastructure are expected to slow commercial adoption. The government has proposed Rs. 200 bn over five years to support deployment across key sectors. Meanwhile, companies are targeting thermal substitution rates of 10 to 15 per cent over the next three to five years, compared with the current industry level of around 6 per cent.

Concrete

Centre Defers Clearance for Limestone Mine Near Bustard Habitat

Panel seeks revised mining plan and safeguards for pipelines and wildlife

Published

3 days ago

September 16, 2026

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The Centre has deferred environmental clearance for a proposed limestone mine near a Great Indian Bustard habitat in Ramgarh, Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district. The critically endangered species has an estimated wild population of about 130 in India.

Concrete

Telangana to Supply Subsidised Cement for Indiramma Houses

Poor families allotted Indiramma houses to receive cement at Rs. 230 per bag

Published

3 days ago

September 16, 2026

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The Telangana government will supply cement at a subsidised price of Rs. 230 per 50-kg bag to poor and low-income families allotted Indiramma houses. The prevailing market price is between Rs. 310 and Rs. 320 per bag, the Assembly was informed on Thursday.