Pune: The civic body has decided to give a shot to geopolymer concrete for road repairs after struggling long to successfully fix potholes and facilitate a smooth ride for commuters. A combination of sand, stone and polymer is mixed to develop geopolymer concrete, used to fix potholes. Roads can open to traffic in two hours after repairs with the material.
The Indian Road Congress (IRC) has accredited it for construction of roads. Citizens and activists have been demanding that Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) find a permanent solution to the pothole issue. They said the civic administration declares new experiments to resolve the problem every year, and fails.
PMC had given itself a deadline to fix potholes before the start of Ganesh festival. Citizens said the works were far from complete even as Ganeshotsav draws to a close. Civic officials said tenders have been issued in six packages and tarring and fixing of potholes with traditional material (hot and cold mix) are proposed at locations like Katraj, Kondhwa, Kothrud, Deccan, Satara Road, Aundh and Peth areas.
Repairs are planned on 200km-long roads, of which a majority is already ready, they said. Senior PMC official Abjijit Dombe told TOI, "The civic administration is testing geopolymer concrete in labs. It will be used on trial basis on a road stretch if the test results are satisfactory.
It will then be utilised on a large scale in civic areas." Yogesh More, a vegetable vendor from Kothrud, said commuting was risky due to damaged roads, especially since traders like him needed to travel long distances to collect materials and sell them. Hundreds of vegetable vendors visit Market Yard in the morning to pick up supplies and then go to different parts of the city.
"Almost all complain about the poor quality of roads. Three-wheelers and other vehicles used to transport materials get damaged because of potholes. The probability of accidents also increases," he added.
Vivek Velankar of citizens group Sajag Nagrik Manch said the administration should be judicious when it comes to spending public funds on such experiments. "The project should be executed only if the quality of repairs is good. The roads repaired should last, otherwise, the administration will only waste public funds," he added.
Civic data said PMC had repaired over 10,000 potholes since April 1. It executed tarring works on approximately 12,000 sqm area. Officials said over 7,000 potholes were repaired in the monsoon of 2023.
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