Cement and steel companies are taking advantage of the system: Nitin Gadkari

11 Jun 2021 CW Team

The minister was speaking at the virtual MoU signing ceremony between IIT (BHU) Varanasi and GR Infraprojects Ltd for promoting industry academia collaborative research in pavement materials and construction. Using waste material for road construction is very important, avered Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, while addressing the audience today. “This is probably a first-of-its-kind MoU being signed by the private sector and an IIT in India,” said the minister, encouraging the use of waste materials for the construction of roads and highways.

The price of steel and cement is very much. “My request to the IITs is to research on how we can reduce the price of these in construction of roads. Let us follow the research of Germany, US, and European countries to see what they are doing,” the minister said.

“Through research, even if 20 per cent of the cost can be saved, we can save Rs 24 lakh crore out of the Rs 111 lakh crore NIP plan,” Gadkari highlighted.

He urged the use of materials such as fly-ash, plastic waste, geosynthetics, steel fibres, among others in highway construction. Citing the examples of Singapore and Malaysia, the minister said that these countries are suing precast with steel fibres for the piers of bridges.

“I am ready to use steel fibres; we do not need to use steel,” he said.

Similarly, using fly-ash in place of concrete can be a good thing.

The minister also urged IITs to publicise the research work being done by them and share it with the states and highway authority to help save cost of construction. “Using of fly-ash instead of concrete can be a great thing,” he avered. He also urged the IITs to increase their research on the basis of international practices.

Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari criticised cement and steel manufacturers for the increasing prices of these materials and hence the impact on construction. “People (cement and steel companies) are taking advantage of system, which is not correct. We need to take a stand on this issue,” he said. The minister also mentioned that MoRTH has set up a committee under the chairmanship of K Venkataramana of L&T to reduce the dependency on cement and steel and promote the use of alternative materials that will help reduce the cost of construction without compromising on the quality.The minister was speaking at the virtual MoU signing ceremony between IIT (BHU) Varanasi and GR Infraprojects Ltd for promoting industry academia collaborative research in pavement materials and construction. Using waste material for road construction is very important, avered Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, while addressing the audience today. “This is probably a first-of-its-kind MoU being signed by the private sector and an IIT in India,” said the minister, encouraging the use of waste materials for the construction of roads and highways.The price of steel and cement is very much. “My request to the IITs is to research on how we can reduce the price of these in construction of roads. Let us follow the research of Germany, US, and European countries to see what they are doing,” the minister said.“Through research, even if 20 per cent of the cost can be saved, we can save Rs 24 lakh crore out of the Rs 111 lakh crore NIP plan,” Gadkari highlighted.He urged the use of materials such as fly-ash, plastic waste, geosynthetics, steel fibres, among others in highway construction. Citing the examples of Singapore and Malaysia, the minister said that these countries are suing precast with steel fibres for the piers of bridges.“I am ready to use steel fibres; we do not need to use steel,” he said.Similarly, using fly-ash in place of concrete can be a good thing.The minister also urged IITs to publicise the research work being done by them and share it with the states and highway authority to help save cost of construction. “Using of fly-ash instead of concrete can be a great thing,” he avered. He also urged the IITs to increase their research on the basis of international practices.

Infrastructure Urban

07 Oct 2025

Greta Minerals Doubles WA Exploration Land, Targets Lithium Supply for India

Greta Minerals Pte, part of Singapore-based Greta Group, has expanded its exploration footprint in Western Australia to 1,550 sq km, up from 700 sq km acquired in 2024.Nitesh Chaudhari, Chairman of Greta Group, said, “We are very happy to expand our landholding, encouraged by initial results from Ultrafine+ soil sampling at Gecko North. The geological corridor appears promising for lithium, gold, and other critical minerals.”The Gecko North Project, 25 km northwest of Coolgardie, is one of seven critical mineral and gold projects under Greta Minerals (Australia) Pty, which now holds 37 gra..

Infrastructure Urban

07 Oct 2025

Vedanta Extends Demerger Deadline to March 2026 Amid Pending Approvals

Vedanta, led by Anil Agarwal, has extended the deadline for its corporate demerger to March 31, 2026, as approvals from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and relevant government authorities are still pending, the company said in a regulatory filing. The deadline had earlier been extended from March 31, 2025, to September 30, 2025.The board stated, “Given that the conditions precedent in the Scheme, including NCLT approval and approvals from certain government authorities, are still in process, the timeline for fulfilment of these conditions has been extended to March 31, 2026.” The ..

Infrastructure Urban

07 Oct 2025

MOIL Achieves Record September Production and Strong Q2 Performance

MOIL posted its best-ever September production of 1.52 lakh tonnes, up 3.8 per cent from the same period last year, reflecting robust operational performance. Exploratory core drilling also surged to 5,314 metre, a 46 per cent increase, highlighting the company’s focus on expanding its resource base.For Q2 FY26 (July–September 2025), MOIL achieved record quarterly production of 4.42 lakh tonnes, up 10.3 per cent year-on-year, and sales of 3.53 lakh tonne, growing 18.6 per cent over the same quarter last year. Exploratory drilling for the quarter reached 21,035 metre, marking a 4.1 per cent..