Government Discourages Bitumen for Road Construction, Promotes Cement Concrete Roads

Kathmandu. The government has moved forward with a policy to discourage the use of bitumen for asphalting roads. The Public Procurement Monitoring Office's recently issued 'Directive on the Use and Promotion of Domestic Products in Public Procurement, 2083' has discouraged imported bitumen in road construction, making domestic 'cement concrete roads' almost mandatory.

Clause 5 (3) of the directive states, 'In lieu of asphalted roads based on imported bitumen, cement concrete roads using domestic cement shall be designed where technically feasible.'