Cement, Energy and Environment

at the laboratory level and in the field, on the shipping for bul ky and longer haulage. But all long term, pointing to the fact that the cement of them cannot provide the advantages of roads concrete made wi th the addition of industrial and road transport. By v1rtue of its abi lity to was teproductssuch asflyash(FA)and ground penetrate into the remotest pa r ts at g ranul a ted b las t furnace slag (GGBS) h as compar a tively very low capita l cost, road durability properties and excellent resistance transport outshines others. towards the deleterious agents mentioned as above. Thi s was also the unanimous view expressed by the p ro fession <tls and expe rts rep resenting 20 countries, ga thered at the Seventh CAN-MET I ACI lnternation<tl Conference, concluded a t Chennai (22-27 Jul y 2001). There is no Indian Standard on GGBS, however its add ition to the concrete should conform to the provisions of IS456: 2000. The manufacture of Portland Slag Cemen t (PSC) in the cotmtry is governed by IS 455-1989, which permits the addition of 25-70'Yo GGBS to the clinker, during the manufacturing process in the plant. Courtl'S)': The Mastcrbuilder , Feb-Mar 2002, Pp26- 33. E-mail: dicorrUlet@I'Snl. com. Wcbsite:1V\VW. m,1sterbui /dcrindia.com NEED FOR EFFICIENT ROAD MANAGEMENT R. P Sinha Roads, the lifeline of a cou ntry, is at once a determinant of its prosperity. A sound system. of roads neu tralizes the disadvan tages o f d istances in conveyance of raw ma terial s and labour. It accelerates the pace of both production a nd di stribution activ iti es. A good road infras tru cture is a prerequisite for sust<1ining transport growth. While wealth helps bui ld roads, it is roads that cre<1 tc wea lth . The other modes of transpor t sys tem li ke railways are suited for bulk haulage and for long distances within the counh·y, airways for light <md quick bCltllagc ac ross the country, a nd It sounds good that India is in the selected band of a few count ries having hu ge a nd l<tr ge roadlines. A very encouraging picture emerges from the following: Year Road length Vehicle inkm. population 1955-56 439 426 1965-66 555 1,099 1975-76 984 2, 700 1985-86 1,381 10,577 1995-96 2, 180 37,783 2000-2001 3,300 53, 100 Figures in '000' The road network has increased from 0.4 mk in 1950s to 3.30 mk by the turn of century. But the number of motor vehicles has increased at much fa ster rate. We can call it "misma tch". Roads are over-used. Th is is a mortal world. Nothing is immortal or everlas ting. The only d ifference lies in the ra te of decaying. It can be a slow process or a fas ter one. Most modern and best-designed projec ts arc subject to stress and strain. Wha t is essen tial is their upkeep, maintenance and management. Our roads are more vulnerable to the decaying process. Tndia has one of the largest road net works. Very soon a few thousand ki lometres wi ll be added under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sa r a kyojna. However road