Innovation cuts carbon emissions and boosts rural connectivity under PMGSY

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI), New Delhi, has developed MSS+ technology, which is being used by the Uttar Pradesh Rural Road Development Authority (UPRRDA) to construct 202 kilometres of eco-friendly roads in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) this year.

The technology does not require heating of aggregate and bitumen, allowing all-weather construction and reducing carbon emissions. Roads built with MSS+ have shown higher quality parameters compared to conventional hot mix roads, said CSIR-CRRI Director and President of the Indian Roads Congress, Manoranjan Parida.

During a project review in Gonda district, Secretary, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Director General, CSIR, N. Kalaiselvi, inspected a road constructed with MSS+ along the Mankapur–Nawabganj–Baksra route. She said the technology supports green infrastructure in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With government incentive funds, UPRRDA is constructing 38 PMGSY roads with 30 mm thick MSS+ layers, said Chief Engineer, Brijesh Kumar Dubey. He added that the state plans to increase the use of the technology in future projects. Developed in 2021 by CSIR-CRRI and J.M.V.D. Industries after two years of research, MSS+ was first used near Lucknow in 2022 and is currently being applied in six districts.