Using CNG-Waste To Build Roads? Gadkari's Masterplan To Stop Stubble Burning
Every winter, as a toxic haze settles over northern India, the spotlight turns to one of its most persistent culprits - crop stubble burning. For farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, setting fire to leftover straw after harvest has been a fast, low-cost method to clear their fields. But it’s also one of the leading contributors to Delhi’s annual air pollution crisis, with stubble burning estimated to account for 30 to 40 percent of the smog choking the capital in peak season.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari now wants to put an end to this by turning the problem into part of the solution. His plan: convert the 80 lakh tonnes of agricultural waste produced annually into materials that can be used to build roads. The initiative blends environmental urgency with infrastructure innovation, aiming to reduce air pollution, cut India’s reliance on imported materials, and give farmers a new revenue stream, all in one go.
Straw Into Streets: The Bio-Bitumen Alternative
The core of this idea lies in creating bio-bitumen, a road-building material derived from rice straw and other crop residues. Traditionally, bitumen is made from petroleum and is used as a binder in asphalt. India spends nearly ₹30,000 crore every year on importing bitumen. Gadkari’s proposal seeks to replace 35 percent of that imported bitumen with a blend containing lignin, a natural polymer found in plants, thereby reducing costs and emissions.
The process is already underway in parts of northern India. Farmers, previously paid around ₹2,500 per tonne for their straw, now find themselves part of a broader supply chain that fuels over 180 bio-CNG projects. These initiatives, backed by companies like Indian Oil and Reliance, convert stubble into usable fuels and road construction materials. A recent pilot project between Shamli and Muzaffarnagar demonstrated that roads made using this bio-bitumen mix can meet durability standards.
Why It Could Be a Game-Changer
This strategy is being pitched as a win-win for both the environment and the economy. The shift from traditional to bio-based materials could save ₹10,000 crore annually by reducing imports. It also turns a major pollution source into a revenue generator, with farmers earning as much as ₹6,000 per acre by selling stubble instead of burning it.
Additionally, the transition is expected to reduce particulate matter emissions by 15 to 20 percent in regions affected by stubble burning. With over 600 bio-CNG and LNG projects in the pipeline, there’s also potential for large-scale rural job creation in collection, processing, and transportation of agricultural waste.
Challenges That Could Stall Progress
However, the plan is not without roadblocks. For one, the stubble collection window is extremely short, just about 20 days post-harvest. Coordinating between farmers, contractors, and government agencies in this time is a logistical challenge.
Technology adoption is another issue. While machinery like happy seeders (which allow sowing without removing stubble) and balers are subsidised, they remain expensive and technically demanding for small farmers.
There are also delays on the policy front. Gadkari recently asked the petroleum ministry to expedite approvals for lignin-blended bitumen, underscoring the bureaucratic lag that often hampers new technology rollouts.
A Bigger, Greener Picture
The bio-bitumen push fits into a broader strategy to make Indian infrastructure more sustainable. Already, highways such as the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and the Dwarka Expressway use asphalt blended with municipal plastic waste.
This not only strengthens roads but also diverts millions of tonnes of plastic from landfills. Bio-CNG from stubble could eventually power public transport fleets, reducing diesel consumption in cities.
Globally, countries like the Netherlands and Ghana have already implemented plastic-tar roads. India has also made progress, with around 40,000 km of rural roads built using waste plastic. Gadkari’s vision is to expand this further by incorporating crop and municipal waste into mainstream construction.
The Farmer Factor
Yet, everything hinges on whether farmers buy into the programme. While financial incentives exist, smallholders often lack access to machinery or awareness of schemes. Initiatives like “stubble banks” in Punjab, which aim to collect and centralise crop residue, are being tested but remain uneven in their implementation.
Where It’s Headed
Highway trials using bio-bitumen are already underway on stretches like the Jorabat-Shillong route. The next step is to establish quality benchmarks for these new materials and ensure that they meet long-term performance standards.
If successful, the programme could usher in a new era where waste, be it crop residue or urban garbage, becomes an essential raw material for India’s next generation of roads.
As Gadkari succinctly put it, “Waste is wealth if you have the right vision.” For India’s polluted cities, overburdened roads, and import-dependent economy, that vision might just be arriving in the form of CNG-powered, stubble-bound highways.
Via ETAuto