Bitumen crisis due to Iran war to hit road work

NEW DELHI: Govt is staring at a major shortage of bitumen due to the ongoing West Asia conflict, which is set to impact construction and maintenance of tar roads. While the price of VG-40 - the most commonly used grade of bitumen - has almost doubled since the conflict began, its availability has plummeted compared to the estimated requirement of around six lakh tonnes till July 15, only for highway projects, reports Dipak Dash.Industry insiders said while crude oil availability in the country remains comfortable due to the import of Russian oil, it has not improved bitumen supply. Sweet crude from Russia cannot produce the bitumen grade that is suitable for Indian weather conditions.The shortage issue was also flagged at the last meeting of the informal Group of Ministers headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh, highlighting how non-availability of the required quality of bitumen has reduced the pace of highway construction to one-fourth in April.