The Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) has been in the news after getting show cause notice by the municipal administration department about superseding the council for violating the government guidelines regarding revision of property tax. On the other hand, it is also making headlines with various innovative initiatives being taken up in the city.
BCC is going to make it mandatory to add 8% plastic powder into tar while constructing roads in the city. The work on the first such road of 200 metres length is scheduled to begin on Saturday. Mayor Shobha Somanache will lay the foundation stone to the road work attached to the BCC office building in Ashok Nagar here.
Scientifically it has been proven that tar roads blended with plastic powder are more durable. Speaking to TOI, city engineer Laxmi Nippanikar said, “Such roads are not just durable but also eco-friendly. Through this, we are taking an innovative step in the city.”
Environmental engineer Hanamant Kaladagi said BCC already has more than 5 tonnes of banned plastic seized from various shops and other locations. “We also get plastic from waste after segregation. Earlier, we used to give away this plastic to the cement factories. Now, we have planned to use it in road construction,” he said.
According to Kaladagi, plastic is cut into very small particles, which is called plastic powder. “It costs around INR 20 to powder one kilogram of plastic. We have already converted around 500 kg powder from the plastic to add into the tar. Now, we have also ordered a machine, as BCC can convert plastic into powder in the coming days on its own,” he said.
BCC commissioner Ashok Dudagunti said Belagavi is the second city corporation after Mysuru to take up such an initiative. Although the cost of the plastic powder added roads is a bit more, they are more durable and eco-friendly. “We are mulling to make it mandatory for all road works,” the commissioner said.
