The Indian government has set up a task force to recommend measures that will ensure the replacement of cement and reinforced concrete with steel in the construction of bridges and low-cost housing, a senior government official said on Monday, May 28.
The official said that the task force under the Ministry of Transport has been set up at the behest of the Ministry of Steel aiming to increase domestic steel consumption.
It was pointed out that the government developed a prototype of low-cost steel housing below INR 200,000 and the task force will have the mandate to make recommendations for the rapid roll out of the model across the country under government-funded low-cost housing in rural and semi-urban areas, and such a move will boost steel consumption.
At the same time, various government research bodies showed that bridges across roads and railways using concrete needed a maintenance overhaul every 50 years, while steel bridges had a life span of over 100 years, the official said.
The task force recommendations will form the basis for all government agencies like Indian Railways and National Highway Authority of India and for government-funded low-cost housing projects to replace concrete with steel.