Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari had announced the path-breaking package for developing new Bhubaneswar ring road that will serve as a model for sustainable infrastructure development in India. The Rs. 8,307.7 crore project is not a mere six-lane access controlled road, but goes beyond by rewriting waste management tactics on the ground that includes using segregated municipal solid waste of the city in its construction work.

Clean Sweep for the Capital City

Very much like other burgeoning urban cities, Bhubaneswar is struggling for disposal of its daily waste. The daily garbage production in the city is estimated to be around 800 metric tonnes. The use of this municipal waste, which is confined in a stable manner, contributes to solving several important problems at a stroke:

• Reduced Waste: The system will also actively assist in reducing the large dump of waste at temporary transit station (TTS) thereby making ride into a cleaner and odourless city.
• Eco-Friendly Construction: The project is in sync with the Government’s determination, to promote import substitutes indigenous and contained cost green techniques in road construction particularly when it provides 40% share of the nation’s pollution.
• Proven technology: This is not some kind of new  Gadkari mentioned about its success being witnessed in Delhi where 80 lakh tonne of municipal legacy waste was used for constructing roads, also putting an end to the Ghazipur dump yard.

Salient Features and Milestones of the Bhubaneswar Ring Road Project

Capital Region-Ring Road is stirring infrastructural improvement approved by the Centre that will be complete in a mere two and half years.

• Length & No of Lanes: 110.8 km-06-lane access controlled road.
• Cost: Estimated at around ₹8,307.7 
• Decongestion: The main idea is to decongest traffic from the highway NH-16 linking Cuttack and Bhubaneswar (and the airport), which witness severe 
• Implementation: The project will be delivered in three packages and the bhoomi puja could take place anytime now.

The Vision for Sustainable Roads

Minister Gadkari’s demand for using municipal waste is part of a larger vision for green infrastructure in india. Apart from trash, he promoted other innovative eco-friendly materials and practices in Odisha like:

Bio-Bitumen: Proposing production of bio-bitumen from rice straw that Odisha has in abundance which could be used as for road construction, thereby leading to added remuneration to farmers.

Substitute Material: Bamboo for roadblocks (Northeast) Steel Slag and recycled Tyres in construction.

This initiative is a great example of “waste = chain and wealth” – turning a civic burden to be as important asset in network-region and environment. It demonstrates a commitment to world-class infrastructure development, which is firmly based on sustainability and innovative mobility solutions, and will put Odisha and India up on the pedestal of self-reliant future with enhanced resilience.