An Open Letter to Honourable Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India

2 November 2015
Honourable Shri Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
South Block, Raisina Hill,
New Delhi -110 011
Subject: Paving bitumen of dubious quality used on roads in India?
Honourable Prime Minister:
I sincerely hope PMO staff would allow you to read this open letter with your own
eyes since the matter is of great national concern especially when we are spending
over 75,000 crores per year in bituminous road construction. Why should you listen to
me?
First, I am an Indian citizen who has returned to the motherland after serving as
Bitumen (Asphalt) Road Engineer in the United States for over 30 years. In the
interest of establishing my credibility I am sorry I have to sacrifice my modesty in
stating that my peers in all continents of the world consider me an authority in the
bitumen road technology. I have had the privilege of leading national and
international bitumen road related organizations while in the US. (My brief resume is
at the end).
Second, I have reasonable knowledge of Indian codes and specifications because
I have been actively involved with the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) and the Bureau
of Indian Standards (BIS) for the last over 10 years in developing new codes and
specifications related to roads, which got adopted. I do not work for anybody so I do
not have any self motive whatsoever.
Here is the issue for you to intervene. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has a
specification IS:73-2013 for road paving bitumen, which has four viscosity grades
(VG). This specification requires that all four VG grades should be manufactured by
oil refineries only. Unfortunately, many fly-by-night third parties in India have
emerged in recent years who are producing VG Grades (especially VG-40) by
dubious, jugad means such as air blowing; adding polyphosphoric acid (PPA);
adding rock bitumen (Gilsonite); adding some polymer; etc. etc. All these processes
are not permitted in the US nor are these permitted in IS:73-2013.
Sadly, our road contractors and government agencies do not test the quality of
bitumen when it is received by them. Many do not test it even for viscosity to
determine its viscosity grade.
I have requested the Chairman of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to
ban immediately the supply of VG Grades by these third parties. However, the best
long-term solution to safeguard against the supply of paving bitumen of dubious
quality (which sometimes also involves adulteration) is to implement bitumens

mandatory certification by the BIS. This would also ensure that the quality of
imported, refined bitumen too meets BIS Specifications.
Although bitumen has a standard (IS:73-2013) for its specification, the compliance of
the same at the end user is not mandatory. This is not the same for other construction
materials such as cement and steel. This essentially means that while it is illegal for
construction agencies to use cement or steel in highway construction that do not meet
the appropriate BIS specifications, it is perfectly fine to use poor quality bitumen for
highway construction which does not meet the BIS specifications. This is because
cement and steel are under OBLIGATORY BIS certification while bitumen is not.
My inquiries with the Bureau of Indian Standards revealed that if bitumen has to be
brought under obligatory BIS certification, the concerned ministry (read Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways or MORTH) should request for the same to our
standards agency (BIS). Therefore, I sent a personal letter (copy attached) to Hon.
Nitin Gadkari on 20 February 2015 to request the BIS to implement mandatory
certification for road paving bitumen just like cement and steel. I regret to state I have
yet to see a response from him although over 8 months have elapsed.
Sir, now you are the last hope on this matter of great national concern. Please ask
MORTH to write a letter to the BIS immediately so that we can stop this Jungle Raj
(sorry for being blunt) and before we start to see some premature failures or short
service life of our highways due to bitumen of dubious quality.
Kindly acknowledge the receipt of this open letter which is being shared with
thousands of highway engineers in India through emails and from the internet.
Thanks.
Yours faithfully,
Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal
Karanpura House, 50 Raj Bhawan Rd.
Civil Lines, Jaipur 302 006
pkandhal@eng.auburn.edu
American roads are good not because America is rich, but America is rich
because American roads are good.
- John F. Kennedy
Those who resist change will become irrelevant in the 21st Century.
- Narendra Modi

ABOUT THE WRITER

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal is Associate Director Emeritus of the National Center for
Asphalt Technology (NCAT) based at Auburn University, Alabama, U.S.A. NCAT is
the largest asphalt (bitumen) road technology center in the world.

Prior to joining NCAT in 1988, Kandhal served as Chief Asphalt Engineer of the
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for 17 years. He is the first person born
outside North America, who has held the following three very prestigious positions in
the asphalt technology area:

President, Association of Asphalt Paving Technologists (with members from

all continents in the world),

Chairman, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International

Committee on Road Paving Standards (responsible for over 200 standards
used worldwide), and

Chairman, Transportation Research Board Committee on Asphalt Roads, U.S.

National Academy of Sciences

Prof. Kandhal has published over 120 technical papers and has co-authored the first
ever textbook on asphalt road technology, which is used by more than 25 universities
in the U.S. He has traveled across the world to provide training and consulting
services in asphalt (bitumen) technology. He has been to China three times to train
their highway engineers in building world-class roads.

20 February 2015
Honourable Shri Nitin Gadkari
Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH)
Transport Bhawan, 1, Parliament Street
New Delhi-110 001
Subject: Mandatory Certification for Bitumen Used in Road Construction
Honourable Minister:
1. As the honourable minister of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, you
have been guiding and providing leadership to this most important ministry of our
country.
2. As you are very much aware, more than 90% of our roads (expressways, national
highways, state highways and major and minor district roads) are bituminous in
nature.
3. The bituminous binders used in these highways are manufactured by our refineries
and marketed through various oil companies such as Indian Oil Corporation,
Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and ONGC.

4. All the refineries are striving hard to produce and provide quality bitumen
especially so after the recent promulgation of new standards for road paving bitumen
stipulated by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). This standard bears the number
IS:73-2013. This is the most rational and scientific bitumen specification provided
and this was brought about based on a research project funded by Bureau of Indian
Standards and carried out by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai.
5. If this robust bitumen specification has to be scrupulously followed in India so that
our country can have roads which we can be proud of, it is necessary that strict quality
control measures are implemented for specification compliance at various stages from
production at the refinery to its use at the construction site.
6. As on today, though bitumen has a standard (IS:73-2013) for its specification, the
compliance of the same at the end user is not mandatory. This is not the same for
other construction materials such as cement and steel. This essentially means that
while it is illegal for construction agencies to use cement or steel in highway
construction that do not meet the appropriate BIS specifications, it is perfectly fine to
use poor quality bitumen for highway construction which does not meet the BIS
specifications. This is because cement and steel are under OBLIGATORY BIS
certification while bitumen is not.
7. My inquiries with the Bureau of Indian Standards revealed that if bitumen has to be
brought under obligatory BIS certification, the concerned ministry (read Ministry of
Road Transport and Highways) should request for the same to our standards agency
(BIS).
8. Since bitumen is a construction material used in highway construction in India, it is
necessary that such mandatory certification process is necessary for India. Please note
that while bitumen is produced through public sector oil refineries (with very less
percentage imported), a spurious market for bitumen exists in India. Considerable
adulteration of the product is also carried out. There are also "fly by night" operators
who claim to convert a VG-10 grade bitumen (low priced) to VG-40 grade bitumen
(high priced) while IS:73-2013 clearly stipulates only a refinery produced product for
use in pavement construction. If such practices should stop and if the Indian public
should get good quality highway, it is essential that bitumen meeting the specification
precisely should be made available to the highway community and this will be only
possible if BIS strictly enforces the requirements as per IS:73-2013.
9. If Paving Bitumen Specification IS:73-2013 is to be made obligatory for bitumen, it
is necessary that your ministry should request the BIS for the same. Only then it will
be done.
10. As an effective and dynamic leader of this most important ministry, please take
this important step so that our country will have the best roads in the world. I am
sharing this letter with over 1500 highway engineers in India who I am sure would
like it to happen. Thanks.
Sincerely,

Prof. Prithvi Singh Kandhal

Karanpura House, 50 Raj Bhawan Rd.
Civil Lines, Jaipur 302 006
pkandhal@gmail.com
CC: Hon. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India