The Central government has planned to use coir geo-textiles in the construction of rural roads under Phase-III of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-III). Coir geo-textiles are permeable fabric which are natural, strong, highly durable, resistant to rots, moulds and moisture, and free from any microbial attack.
They will be used for construction of rural roads under PMGSY-III. As per the PMGSY new technology guidelines for road construction, 15 percent length of roads in each batch of proposals is to be constructed using new technologies.
Out of this five percent roads are to be constructed using Indian Roads Congress (IRC) accredited technology. As per these instructions, five percent length of the rural roads under PMGSY-III will be constructed using coir geo-textiles.
Accordingly, 164 km of roads will be constructed using coir geo-textiles in Andhra Pradesh, 151 km in Gujarat, 71 km in Kerala, 328 km in Maharashtra, 470 km in Odisha, 369 km in Tamil Nadu and 121 km in Telengana. Thus, 1,674 km roads will be constructed using coir geo-textiles in seven states for which there will be a requirement of one crore sq mtr of coir geo-textiles, estimated cost of which would come to Rs 70 crore.
