Gadkari has also been pressing for increased usage of precast for a long time and has recently expressed his desire to make it 100 per cent.“Already we have discussed with the prime minister. We are going to formulate a group of our ministry and urban ministry, and we are now working on it… at least my opinion is 100 per cent, we have to make it precast. But somewhere we will think 75-80 per cent mandatory. It is the need of the hour. It (precast concrete) reduces the cost and the pollution,” he said at an event in Delhi last week.The MoRTH is also considering making precast boundary walls mandatory for access-controlled highways.According to the ministry, precast concrete has the benefits of all-weather and fast construction. Ministry officials said that factory-manufactured precast concrete has reliable quality and also enhances performance, durability, and aesthetics due to uniformity in appearance. It also reduces carbon emissions, noise, and air pollution due to restricted construction activities at the site.The ministry also argued that increased usage of concrete elements made in factories would play an integral role in accelerating the growth of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.Precast concrete elements such as panels, girders, and barriers have been used in the construction of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, including its boundary walls. The usage of factory-produced precast beams is prevalent in many countries, such as Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the United States of America (USA).
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