Parliament Question: Technological Contributions of CSIR–CRRI and Traffic Management Studies for Rajkot

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4294 (ANSWERED ON 18.03.2026) TECHNOLOGICAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF CSIR–CRRI AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STUDIES FOR RAJKOT 4294. Shri Parshottambhai Rupala: Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) the details of the major technological achievements of the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute during the last three years and the manner in which these innovations have been translated into field-level implementation by Central and State agencies; (b) whether CRRI has conducted or proposed comprehensive traffic and mobility studies for Rajkot and its surrounding regions to manage increasing business, industrial, pilgrim and tourist traffic including assessments of road capacity, congestion points, safety concerns, last- mile connectivity, parking demand and future growth projections and if so, the details thereof; and (c) the steps taken or proposed by the Government to further strengthen, modernise and expedite CRRI’s research? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY & EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH) (a) CSIR–Central Road Research Institute has developed and implemented several technologies and solutions in the road and transport sector during the last three years. These include: Steel Slag Road Technology for sustainable road construction using steel industry by-products; ECOFIX, a ready-to-use pothole repair material for rapid maintenance; Modified Mix Seal Surfacing (MSS+) for sustainable road construction; PATCHFILL, a mechanized pothole repair machine for efficient pothole repairs;Mobile Cold Mixer-cum-Paver (MCMP) for on-site preparation and laying of cold bituminous mixes; REJUBIT and REJUPAVE for rejuvenation and recycling of aged bituminous pavements; Plastic Waste-based Geocell Technology for strengthening pavement layers; and frequency-based noise barrier technology for mitigation of traffic noise in urban corridors. In addition, CSIR- CRRI has been undertaking comprehensive mobility plans, traffic and transportation studies, road safety audits and intelligent transport solutions such as iRASTE for improving traffic management and road safety. Some of these technologies have been transferred to industries for commercialization, while their field-level implementation has been facilitated in collaboration with agencies such as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and various State Public Works Departments (PWDs). The brief details of the aforesaid technologies are at Annexure – I. (b) Although CSIR-CRRI has not conducted comprehensive traffic and mobility studies for Rajkot and its surrounding areas, the institute recently completed a sponsored project focusing on noise pollution in the city. The project was funded by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and launched in September 2022. The study titled "Noise Mapping, Identification of Hotspots Violating Prescribed Norms and Mitigation Plan for Ensuring Compliance with Noise Pollution Rules, 2000" covered four major cities, namely, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot. The final report has been submitted to GPCB. (c) The Government continues to support and strengthen the research and technological capabilities of CSIR–Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) through funding support, modernization of laboratory and testing facilities, promotion of collaborative and sponsored research with Central and State agencies, and encouragement of technology development and commercialization. Efforts are also being made to facilitate pilot projects, field demonstrations and wider adoption of CSIR-CRRI technologies by industry and implementing agencies, while promoting advanced research in areas such as sustainable road materials, pavement recycling, traffic and mobility studies, intelligent transport systems and road safety. *******Annexure - I The CSIR–Central Road Research Institute (CSIR-CRRI) has spearheaded several "Waste-to-Wealth" and sustainable infrastructure technologies over the last three years. The brief summary of these achievements and their field-level implementation by Indian agencies is as under: Sustainable Pavement Materials & Waste Valorization S.No. Technology Implementation 1. ECOFIX (Steel Slag Pothole Mix): A ready- Used for rapid/monsoon repairs across 11 Indian to-use repair mix using processed steel slag states (including Delhi, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu) and exported to Chicago, USA 2. Steel Slag Valorization: Processes industrial Large-scale adoption in NH-66 (Mumbai–Goa), steel slag as a high-strength substitute for NH-53 (Gujarat), and strategic Border Roads in natural stone aggregates Arunachal Pradesh 3. KrishiBind (Bio-Bitumen): Produces a Tested on NH-6 (Meghalaya) and NH-44 renewable binder from agricultural waste (rice (Maharashtra) to improve moisture resistance in straw) to curb stubble burning highways 4. End-of-Life Plastic Modules: Modular road Demonstration sections at the DND–KMP components made from recycled plastic Expressway and an Indian Army camp in Leh Advanced Recycling & Rejuvenation Technologies 5. REJUPAVE & REJUBIT: Bio-based REJUPAVE is widely used by the BRO for low- modifiers that "refresh" aged bitumen, temperature paving in Ladakh and Arunachal allowing for high-percentage Reclaimed Pradesh. REJUBIT has covered 140 km of high- Asphalt Pavement (RAP) usage traffic corridors like the Chennai–Tirupati section 6. TERASURFACING: Thin surfacing using Commercialized and implemented in Surat, industrial wastes (slag, fly ash, marble dust) Gujarat for sustainable urban road maintenance Specialized Surfacing & Stabilization 7. MSS+ & MACROSURFACING: Cold-mix MSS+ is active in PMGSY projects across five surfacing for rural roads (MSS+) and districts in UP; MACROSURFACING is used for preventive maintenance for concrete roads rapid restoration of concrete pavements in Uttar (MACROSURFACING) Pradesh 8. BSS101 & CGBR101: Specialized BSS101 used in NH sections near Kanpur and cementitious materials for soil stabilization and Shimla; CGBR101 (Cement Grouted Bituminous "semi-rigid" composite pavements Mix) has been laid over 200 km in diverse climates from Mumbai (high rain) to Leh (extreme cold) Mechanization & Noise Mitigation 9. PatchFILL (Machine & Mix): An indigenous Machines deployed in Kerala and Delhi; Two- pothole-filling machine and a two-pack quick- pack mix utilized by Pune Municipal Corporation setting cold mix and on the Delhi–Mathura Road 10. Mobile Cold Mixer-cum-Paver (MCMP): A Prototype provided to the BRO for road works in mobile unit for on-site paving in remote areas the difficult terrains of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh 11. Frequency-Based Noise Barriers: Patented Currently being installed along major road barriers tailored to specific traffic noise corridors in Delhi to mitigate urban noise frequencies pollution