Coir Geo textiles, a permeable fabric, natural, strong, highly durable, resistant to rots, moulds, and moisture, free from any microbial attack, has finally been accepted as a good material for rural road construction.

 Coir Geo textiles will be used for the construction of rural roads under the PMGSY-III says communication from the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency under the Union  Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.

Speaking about the development, Nitin Gadkari, Minister of MSME and Road Transport & Highways, who has been behind the move to explore alternative usage of coir fiber, has said,

“This is a very significant development as we have now been successful in deploying coir geo textile in road construction. The decision will give a big boost to the coir industry especially in these difficult times of COVID-19 pandemic.”

 As per the PMGSY new technology guidelines for road construction, 15% length in each batch of proposals, is to be constructed using new technologies. Out of this 5% of roads are to be constructed using IRC accredited technology. The IRC has now accredited coir Geo textiles for the construction of rural roads.

As per these instructions, 5% length of the rural roads under PMGSY-III will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles. 

Accordingly, 164 Kms of the road will be constructed using coir geo textiles in Andhra Pradesh, 151 kms in Gujarat, 71 kms in Kerala , 328 kms in Maharashtra,470 kms in Odisha, 369 kms TN and 121 kms in Telengana. Thus 1674 km road will be constructed using Coir Geo textiles in 07 states for which there will be a requirement of One Crore Sq. mtrs of coir Geo-textiles, estimated cost of which would come to Rs.70 Crore.

 The decision opens up a huge market potential for Coir Geo-textiles in the Country and will be a boon to the Covid-19 hit Coir Industry.