ગુજરાતી
English
Dilip Patel
Ahmadabad, 21 June 2023
On 20 June 2023, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated a white road prepared by the AMC using the ‘white topping’ method near Memnagar Gurukul in Bodakdev, his and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s constituency. In Bodakdev Ward and Thaltej Ward, a paved road has been prepared from Gurukul to Teerth Nagar Samaj with white topping method. Eco friendly projects are coming up in his area.
On the contrary, the BJP government has stopped the work of white roads in Bengaluru where white roads were made earlier.
As the first pilot project in Gujarat, the city will spend. It was decided to prepare three white topping roads like Bengaluru in 2022 at a cost of rc.20.39 crores.
A 1500 meter long, 7.5 meter wide road has been constructed at a cost of 9 crores in Ghatlodia, the assembly constituency of CM Bhupendra Patel. Gurukul Road in Thaltej and Bodakdev wards is the first in Gujarat to have white topping. After the white road was made here, this white road had to be broken due to increase in sewerage.
It has taken 4 months to build the road. The one-way road remained completely closed for 4 months. After the road was ready, the municipal corporation excavated again due to sewage. People complained many times in the corporation and BJP office, but nothing happened. The corporators who came to ask for votes at the time of elections did not appear despite giving representations.
2.7 km road from Trikamlal Char Road to Suhana Junction, Gurukul Road and its connecting road totaling 2.15 km road and 0.55 km road from Alok Bungalow to Siddhi Bungalow totaling 5.40 km road have been duly made. In short, it costs less than both asphalt and concrete roads.
In 2020-21, there were 25 thousand potholes in Ahmedabad city. Amit Shah had given assurance to the people that he will fix it. So white road was started with cement and other material with the claim that it will not break for 10 to 20 years. This is how 3 white paths were made. All three White Topping roads, which have been built by the municipality so far, had come under controversy. The road to Chief Minister Bhapendra Patel’s assembly constituency also had to be cut.
Now in Isanpur, the vice-president of the BJP’s road committee had got the white topping road constructed in front of his house in June 2023 at a cost of 2.50 crores. There are roads from Trikamlal Char Road to Suhana Char Road and from Isanpur Alok Society to Siddhi Bungalow.
Advantages
Increases visibility at night by increasing light reflection. Improves vehicle safety. Saves 20-30% electricity. By reducing pavement deflection, vehicles consume 10-15% less fuel. Lowers emissions. Excellent surface drainage. There is better light reflection. Life expectancy is longer than asphalt road it will last for 10 to 20 years. It will be cool in summer. Beating is not guaranteed. White Top Pavement is 100% recyclable. Reduces braking distance. Roads dry very quickly due to rain water. Better than asphalt and as white as RCC. is made separately from RCC. Concrete roads are made by UltraTech company from cement and other materials. Prevents rusting, structural cracks and pitting. Provides safe and fast travel. It costs less than both asphalt and concrete roads. The turn around time can prove to be faster for concrete roads with a turnaround time of only 14 days.
It was decided to make a white road because bridges and roads get damaged during monsoons due to corruption.
The AMC claims that the cost of renovating the asphalt road is Rs 1,450 per square metre. The cost of white topping is Rs 1600 per square meter. If you want to renew the asphalt road with badges only, it costs Rs 2450 per square meter. If you want to renew it with white topping badge then it costs Rs 2600 per chomi.
The third white topping road built at a cost of Rs 8.5 crore also had to be demolished.
Due to leaking sewer line in Bapunagar, 2.7 km road had to be dug.
The white topping roads started by the municipality in the name of sustainable roads are now becoming the center of controversy. After Gurukul Road, the White Topping Road built near Anil Starch Mill had to be broken due to leakage of sewer line and water line. A 2.7 km white topping road was constructed from Trikamlal Cross Road to Suhana Hotel in Bapunagar at a cost of Rs 8.5 crore. The municipality noticed that the sewerage and water line here have become one. Eventually the road had to be opened for repairs. In Isanpur, the chairman of the Road and Building Construction Committee got a road constructed at a cost of Rs 1.73 crore due to water logging near his house, which led to a dispute.
One meter by one meter stoves were prepared in White Topping Road. Those were lifted and reinstalled after proper repair of utility lines (including water, sewer) from below. So there is no damage to the road. The road was the same as before.
By this method, two major roads of 48 wards of the city will be prepared.
The bad condition of Ahmedabad’s roads is no longer news – it has become a long running joke. Election after election, every party that has formed the government in the state has promised good roads and proper infrastructure for city commuters.
White Road work stalled in Bengaluru
One such grand plan is the long-standing roads in Bengaluru. The roads were to be whitewashed to ensure durability and less chance of damage. However, the Karnataka government put a stop to all future white-topping proposals. Ordered an inquiry into previous projects in Bengaluru. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa kicked off the third phase of the white-topping project. It ordered an inquiry into the alleged irregularities in the first two phases.
Having said that it is the ultimate cure for pothole menace as concrete roads have a life span of about 30 to 50 years unlike asphalt roads which require asphalting every three to four years.
White-topping basically means pouring cement and concrete over roads, not coal tar.
12 roads were awarded and about 50 other roads totaling 103.60 km were to be upgraded to tender standards.
In the year 2016, BBMP decided to whitewash a total of 94.5 km of roads in Bengaluru. Estimated cost of the project Rs. 986.64 crores. The then JD(S)-Congress government had sanctioned about 123 km of white lanes on 89 roads in Bengaluru – that too at a cost of Rs. 1,172 crores at a cost.
The project has also caused huge inconvenience to commuters and citizens. The roads that are being repaired have been dug up. It turns dirty in monsoon. There is a lot of dust. Worst of all – constant traffic jams and chaos. At many places, cement has been poured arbitrarily on potholed roads. The height of the roads has increased more than the footpaths. The drainage system of these roads has also been affected due to wrong planning. The white-topped roads did not have drainage channels for rainwater. Making white roads by breaking good roads was a waste of money.
At many places the height of the roads is higher than the footpaths. Then there are sudden potholes in the roads as some of the roads are high. Some roads are low. It is not homogeneous. This is dangerous and inconvenient. It comes across as a project more inclined towards spending money than fixing roads.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will put on hold the expansion of its fast road project as the technology partner has not paid the consultancy fee to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), which was engaged to conduct a feasibility study after the pilot. Cracks have appeared in Indiranagar of the project.
According to BBMP, IISc had demanded a consultancy fee of Rs 23.41 lakh, which was to be paid to Ultra Tech. Eight of the 250 slabs used to build the 375-metre-long road using the technology have developed cracks. These are not major cracks that require replacing the project itself. As far as the technology is concerned, it has been put on hold, requiring more research. This section would never again be built with white topping. It will remain as it is.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had sought the government’s nod to whitewash 39 more roads spread over 114.46 km in the city in the third phase. Whose estimated cost is Rs. 1,449 crores. Funding was sought.
Under the first two phases of the project, around 143 km of roads were completed in the city. In the first phase Rs. 972 crore at a cost of 94 km, while the second phase will cost Rs 100 crore. 49 km was whitewashed at a cost of Rs 704 crore.
High cost
This will be the biggest phase of white-topping by the city even as the state government intends to review the project due to its high cost. In March this year, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bomai told the assembly that the cost of making the asphalt would be Rs. 75 lakh to Rs. 1 crore per km, while the white topping costs Rs. Between 9-10 cr.
Is White Topping a Permanent Solution?
Between 2018 and 2020, 5626 people died in pothole accidents in the country.
Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) is considered more durable and prevents potholes.
A white tip reduces the braking distance of road vehicles, making them safer in dry and wet surface conditions.
Reduces energy consumption for air conditioning in urban buildings.
The age of asphalt roads in Bengaluru city is 5 years.
The country’s fourth largest municipal corporation has completed the whitewashing of about 143 km of roads in the city in the first two phases.
In the first phase Rs. 972 crore at a cost of 94 km, while the second phase will cost Rs 100 crore. 49 km was whitewashed at a cost of Rs 704 crore.
Asphalt work is completed in 5 days, whitewashing takes about 26 to 28 days. This includes milling, levelling, bituminous concrete and a mandatory 21-day curing period. Under the new technique, concrete slabs are brought to the site and placed on the road using cranes.
White Topping Is Bad Economics
BBMP will whitewash one kilometer of road. 9-10 crores spent. Asphalt black roads cost Rs. 75 lakh to Rs. 1 crore per km
Questions are also being raised on the usefulness of white topping which does not increase the carrying capacity of the road. Generates huge amount of dust and at worst frequent traffic jams and chaos.
