3 June 2009
Honourable Shri Shanti Kumar Dhariwal
Minister of Urban Development
511 Royal Ensign Apartments
Prithvi Raj Road, C-Scheme
Jaipur
Subject: Revolutionary suggestions to make Jaipur roads the best in India
Honourable Minister:
I sincerely hope your eyes will get to see this letter because it is so important for Jaipur and Rajasthan. You must be surprised with the subject but it is true and can be done during your tenure as Minister of Urban Development.
You have seen the deplorable condition of roads in Jaipur. Bituminous surfacing hardly last for 2-3 years, sometimes failing in one year during the monsoons. For example, we keep on resurfacing city roads such as MI Road almost every other year. That is a criminal waste of public money. This is happening because we are using “disaster” type mixes in Jaipur and other cities, which are bound to fail. When we resurface, we put another “disaster” mix on top of the “disaster” mix which is failing. What if I suggest a single bituminous surfacing mix type which will last for 8-10 years with hardly any pothole? It is true!
During monsoons, our urban roads develop countless potholes. I have seen in Jaipur for the last 7 years, local media shows these potholes. Public is fed up with this annual misery of potholed roads which continues until the end of monsoon when hot mix plants open and patch repairs are started. What if I suggest an idiot-proof cold mix which can be stored for 6 months and can be placed in pothole without any preparation (even when the pothole is wet during monsoon) and the patch will last for more than 4 years. It is true! I developed this mix and tried it in the US (where it a standard patching mix in some states) and I have tried it on Jaipur roads and Jaipur-Agra road during 2008 monsoon with the voluntary help of MNIT faculty and students. The patches are still there!
Before I proceed further, let me introduce myself. I am an NRR (non resident Rajasthani) who has returned to Jaipur after serving as Bitumen (Asphalt) Road Engineer in the United States for 35 years. In the interest of establishing my credibility I am sorry I have to sacrifice my modesty in stating that my peers in all continents of the world consider me as an authority in the bitumen road technology. I have had the privilege of leading national and international bitumen road related organizations while in the US. I still have the privilege of being called as an expert to investigate complex premature road failures throughout the world including the US. If a specific technically flawed mix or specification is involved in the failure, the concerned road authorities promptly revise their specification based on my recommendations. (My brief resume at the end)
Since I returned to India, I have studied the different types of bituminous mixes used here. In fact, I have just revised the Bituminous Specification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) on request by Director General MORTH and the Secretary General of Indian Roads Congress. Therefore, I am in a position to suggest revolutionary actions to make Jaipur roads the best in India in terms of durability and maintenance.
Sir, if you are going to send this letter to the bureaucrats and technocrats in the PWD, JDA or JMC, you will as usual get a rosy report: “Everything is fine; we are doing this or that, etc.” They believe in status quo either because of ego and/or vested interest. In that case, this letter is just an exercise in futility because I know from past experience nothing will be done and we will continue to waste crores of rupees every year in resurfacing our roads with no tangible improvement to the condition of roads in Jaipur and other urban areas of Rajasthan.
I am a retired NRI, who has come home to make a difference with my expertise on a voluntary basis. I do not represent any company or organization nor do I aspire for any type of position in government or any other organization or committee. We NRIs receive appeals to help our country with our expertise. I will be utterly disappointed if there are no takers of my international as well as Indian technical expertise offered on a voluntary basis right here in Jaipur. Together, we can improve the quality of our roads in Jaipur and set an example for the rest of India. I will be highly privileged to see you for 30 minutes, if not more, and explain the details. I am looking forward to a personal response from you.
Yours faithfully,
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Karanpura House, 50 Raj Bhawan Rd.
Civil Lines, Jaipur 302 006
Mobile 94140-54804
ABOUT THE WRITER
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal is Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) based at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A. NCAT is the largest asphalt (bitumen) road technology center in the world.
Prof. Kandhal has published over 120 technical papers and has co-authored the first ever textbook on asphalt road technology, which is used by more than 25 universities in the U.S. He has travelled to various countries in South America, Middle East, China, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, and Australia to provide training, troubleshooting, and consulting services in asphalt (bitumen) technology. He has been to China three times to train their highway engineers in building world-class roads.
Honourable Shri Shanti Kumar Dhariwal
Minister of Urban Development
511 Royal Ensign Apartments
Prithvi Raj Road, C-Scheme
Jaipur
Subject: Revolutionary suggestions to make Jaipur roads the best in India
Honourable Minister:
I sincerely hope your eyes will get to see this letter because it is so important for Jaipur and Rajasthan. You must be surprised with the subject but it is true and can be done during your tenure as Minister of Urban Development.
You have seen the deplorable condition of roads in Jaipur. Bituminous surfacing hardly last for 2-3 years, sometimes failing in one year during the monsoons. For example, we keep on resurfacing city roads such as MI Road almost every other year. That is a criminal waste of public money. This is happening because we are using “disaster” type mixes in Jaipur and other cities, which are bound to fail. When we resurface, we put another “disaster” mix on top of the “disaster” mix which is failing. What if I suggest a single bituminous surfacing mix type which will last for 8-10 years with hardly any pothole? It is true!
During monsoons, our urban roads develop countless potholes. I have seen in Jaipur for the last 7 years, local media shows these potholes. Public is fed up with this annual misery of potholed roads which continues until the end of monsoon when hot mix plants open and patch repairs are started. What if I suggest an idiot-proof cold mix which can be stored for 6 months and can be placed in pothole without any preparation (even when the pothole is wet during monsoon) and the patch will last for more than 4 years. It is true! I developed this mix and tried it in the US (where it a standard patching mix in some states) and I have tried it on Jaipur roads and Jaipur-Agra road during 2008 monsoon with the voluntary help of MNIT faculty and students. The patches are still there!
Before I proceed further, let me introduce myself. I am an NRR (non resident Rajasthani) who has returned to Jaipur after serving as Bitumen (Asphalt) Road Engineer in the United States for 35 years. In the interest of establishing my credibility I am sorry I have to sacrifice my modesty in stating that my peers in all continents of the world consider me as an authority in the bitumen road technology. I have had the privilege of leading national and international bitumen road related organizations while in the US. I still have the privilege of being called as an expert to investigate complex premature road failures throughout the world including the US. If a specific technically flawed mix or specification is involved in the failure, the concerned road authorities promptly revise their specification based on my recommendations. (My brief resume at the end)
Since I returned to India, I have studied the different types of bituminous mixes used here. In fact, I have just revised the Bituminous Specification of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) on request by Director General MORTH and the Secretary General of Indian Roads Congress. Therefore, I am in a position to suggest revolutionary actions to make Jaipur roads the best in India in terms of durability and maintenance.
Sir, if you are going to send this letter to the bureaucrats and technocrats in the PWD, JDA or JMC, you will as usual get a rosy report: “Everything is fine; we are doing this or that, etc.” They believe in status quo either because of ego and/or vested interest. In that case, this letter is just an exercise in futility because I know from past experience nothing will be done and we will continue to waste crores of rupees every year in resurfacing our roads with no tangible improvement to the condition of roads in Jaipur and other urban areas of Rajasthan.
I am a retired NRI, who has come home to make a difference with my expertise on a voluntary basis. I do not represent any company or organization nor do I aspire for any type of position in government or any other organization or committee. We NRIs receive appeals to help our country with our expertise. I will be utterly disappointed if there are no takers of my international as well as Indian technical expertise offered on a voluntary basis right here in Jaipur. Together, we can improve the quality of our roads in Jaipur and set an example for the rest of India. I will be highly privileged to see you for 30 minutes, if not more, and explain the details. I am looking forward to a personal response from you.
Yours faithfully,
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Karanpura House, 50 Raj Bhawan Rd.
Civil Lines, Jaipur 302 006
Mobile 94140-54804
ABOUT THE WRITER
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal is Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) based at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A. NCAT is the largest asphalt (bitumen) road technology center in the world.
Prof. Kandhal has published over 120 technical papers and has co-authored the first ever textbook on asphalt road technology, which is used by more than 25 universities in the U.S. He has travelled to various countries in South America, Middle East, China, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, and Australia to provide training, troubleshooting, and consulting services in asphalt (bitumen) technology. He has been to China three times to train their highway engineers in building world-class roads.
Nice approach... we should do something for makinging our city better
ReplyDeleteNice approach... we should do something for makinging our city better
ReplyDeleteit is a gud use of bird eye approach
ReplyDeleteif i were minister of urban devlopment then
i will do it as snoon as possible
samsher poonia from rajgarh