Odisha: Chief Secretary directs to ensure 100 Percent use of fly ash
A State level Workshop on use of fly ash in Road Construction organized under the joint aegis of State Pollution Control Board, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Fly Ash Research Center (FARC) was inaugurated by Chief Secretary Sri Aditya Prasad Padhi here on Friday.
In his inaugural address Chief Secretary emphasized on the 100% utilization of fly ash produced from thermal power plants. Sri Padhi said that regarding utilization of fly ash we don’t have any choice than to increase the utilization level to 100%.
Chief Secretary directed all the TPSs and various departments of Govt like Works, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj to ensure 100% implementation of the rules and Govt orders regarding utilization of fly ash. Sri Padhi also advised the engineers and road executing agencies to change their mind-set towards the use of fly ash and use it as an asset.
Speaking on the occasion as guest of honour, Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary, Finance Sri R. Balakrishnan said that the use of fly ash in construction works be included in the project plans and be scrutinized at the time of giving approvals and sanctions.
He also emphasized on identifying the causes that hinder the maximum utilization of fly ash. Principal Secretary Forest & Environment Sri Suresh Chandra Moahaptra emphasized on seamless supply of fly ash by thermal power plants to the user agencies and contractors. Secretary Works Sri Nalinikanta Pardhan made it clear that instructions have been issued for use of fly ash bricks in construction of all Govt buildings. He also said that Indian Road Congress has approved use of fly ash in road construction. This material has several advantages and can safely be used in road works.
Available data shows that the thermal grade of Indian coal contains 35 to 45% of ash resulting in generation of a huge quantity of ash from power plants. This fly ash being light in weight is collected in electro static precipitator and bag filters connected to the boilers of the thermal plants. Presently around 25 million tone of fly ash per annum is being generated from power plants which are likely to be doubled in coming years with commissioning of new power plants under construction.
The utilization of the fly ash over last 3 years have been around 58-60 % in the State. In the country, annual utilization of fly ash in road construction is about 8.82 million ton which is around 16% of total utilization. Experts opined that road sector has enough scope for utilization of fly ash. Fly ash is also being used as a pre-fab construction material being used for construction of buildings.
The Introductory address in inaugural session was given by Sri Aravind Kumar , Regional Executive Director of NTPC. Two other technical sessions followed the inaugural session. The experts spoke on the topics like ‘Use of Flay Ash in Road Construction – Technical and Specification Issues’, ‘Use of Fly Ash in Cement Concrete Roads’, ‘Fly Ash Utilization in National Highway Construction’ , ‘Scope of Fly Ash Utilization in Road Projects in Odisha’, ‘Utilization of Fly Ash for Development of Geopolymeric Cement Block for Sea Shore Protection’ , ‘Fly Ash Application in Low Volume Roads’ and Affordable Construction with Fly Ash.
The representatives from Indian Road Congress, various industries, thermal power companies, National High Way Authorities, users of fly ash, research scholars , fly ash scientists along with senior officers from Govt of Odisha participated in the workshop.