The next 30-40 years looks bright as it is driven by change and technology

ANIL YENDLURI

Managing Director, Vishwa Samudra Engineering Pvt Ltd

What is your overview on the Indian roads and highways sector?

India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world and one of the key factors that accentuates this is the surge in the country's infrastructure - predominantly roads and highways. The next 30-40 years looks bright as it is driven by change and technology. The need for green technologies that demand less aggregate during construction and have minimum carbon emissions is the need of the hour. Adoption of innovative and sustainable technologies that minimize the wastage of limited resources, is where the focus lies. We are working on projects under the Bharatmala Pariyojana with the Government of India whose priority is the upgradation and construction of roads and highways to fuel economic development.

MoRTH has plans to improve road connectivity to remote and far-flung areas over the next four decades including those in tribal and mountainous regions of the country. The future of this sector looks immensely promising and positive with a focus on technological advancements and an affirmative shift away from conventional methods of road building.

Can you provide us an overview of Vishwa Samudra and its major projects in roads sector?

Although we run a multi-vertical infrastructure company, we have an inclination towards Roads and Highways. One of our path-breaking processes is with a state-of-the-art eco-friendly green technology from Germany - StabilRoad, in projects where Full-Depth Recycling and Soil Stabilization are needed. StabilRoad is an advanced technology used in road construction that not only helps save up to 80% on aggregate but has been proven to be more cost-effective than conventional road-building technologies, allowing contractors to save big time on labour, transport and material costs. StabilRoad is a proof that being eco-friendly also makes economic sense. StabilRoad is a highly versatile technology and we have used it for city roads, highways, service roads, airport runways, port roads, roads inside factory premises and more.

Our current major road projects include:

• Upgradation of rural roads under the UP Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana: 257.2 km @ Rs 233.27 crore
• AIIB road projects in Andhra Pradesh: 710 km @ Rs 603 crore
• Development of NH 66, in Kollam, Kerala: 31.5 km @ Rs 1,580 crore, under NHAI
• Development of NH 66, in Kannur, Kerala: 29.948 km @ Rs 2,038 crore, under NHAI
• Development of NH 66, in Paravoor, Kerala: 37.5 km @ Rs 1,152 crore, under NHAI
• Development of NH 244A, in Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir: 35.15 km @ Rs 1,870 crore, under NHAI

How is the company embracing new technologies and solutions in its road projects?

We have constantly strived to adopt advanced technologies in all our projects in order to give our clients the best results possible. StabilRoad has definitely proved to be one of the stellar products from our stable; it has achieved amazing success since being introduced and is now being used across several projects. Being one of the first infrastructure companies in India to use this additive-based green technology in 2016, we have come a long way in convincing and working with the Government (Central and State) to optimize the effective benefits of this technology. StabilRoad is a unique additive that reduces the need for aggregate by up to 80%. In doing so, it fulfills a very vital environmental need and is thus a highly sustainable technology. In addition, it is also cost-effective and extremely efficient, helping contractors save on labour, transport and material costs. Till date, over 620 lane km of roads have been made with StabilRoad and we have made a carbon reduction equivalent to 20,000 tonnes! An additional benefit is that roads made using the StabilRoad additive can be used within 24 hours, and requires minimum maintenance once made, unlike conventional roads. At our Uttar Pradesh project, we created a record of sorts on October 22, 2022, by completing 2.5 lane km in less than 15 hours under Full-Depth Recycling with StabilRoad. The durable and highly resistant nature of StabilRoad allows it to be used extensively in all weather conditions across the country.

With sustainability gaining importance in construction, how these technologies help in saving the use of natural resources?

Natural resources are limited across the world, especially with reference to the sector we work in where our core raw material is stone aggregate. With a strong company philosophy to have sustainable practices, we ensure to save these natural resources in our processes wherever possible. With StabilRoad for example, the additive has the properties to mix with the existing soil and create the desired mixture that is required for a strong road. This means - less or no use of aggregate to construct the road, directly enabling a high amount of savings in the use of aggregate. Indirectly also saving on transportation costs and emissions. Over the years, we have been thankful to our progressive governments for accepting this technology and to even mention on the MORTH circular encouraging the use of new technologies in road construction. StabilRoad projects have consistently been able to save close to 80% aggregate in all its projects - a mammoth amount of aggregate being saved!

What is your outlook on India's roads and highways development in the coming years?

We are proud to say that StabilRoad has helped in saving mountains in the country! They help in saving natural resources, cutting emissions, reduce traffic movement and congestion, in addition to several other indirect activities that are caused by road construction. Projects like widening existing roads and upgradation of roads become faster with these technologies. In areas where there is scarcity of labour, these technologies have an edge as the need for manpower is lesser compared to conventional road construction. With our Central Government and several state governments being positive on these technologies, the future for road construction is better than it ever was before.

Would you like to add anything more?

I would like to thank our visionary Hon'ble Minster for Roads and Highways, Nitin Gadkari for his revolutionary strategies and decisions that have created a positive and progressive outlook for the country. The use of new technologies and the plan to use them in his massive plans across the country shows the transcendent vision and leadership of the Ministry and the Government. Various state governments have followed this as well and we are grateful to the Uttar Pradesh Government (UPRRDA department) to accept Full-Depth Recycling for its rural roads, which is a major step showcasing the futuristic mindset of the state in road construction. We, at Vishwa Samudra Engineering always intend to make a positive impact on the environment in all our processes and activities.

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