Surat: With the high demand of geofabric, a cloth-like-materialused in the manufacture of military bags and parachutes, more number of industrial units in Surat have undertaken its manufacturing.
In India, geofabric is most commonly used in the construction of highways. So far, geofabric was manufactured in one unit at Ankleshwar. Now several small manufacturers of Surat have started producing the fabric. Even today, 60 per cent of geofabric in the country is imported.
Highways need to be tough as they bear the load of heavy traffic. To make the highway strong, a layer of concrete is put over geo fabric. This not only adds to the strength of the road but makes it waterproof, too. Geofabric stops rainwater from seeping into the ground below the road. During road construction, geofabric is placed under the layers of concrete so that the roads do not cave in during heavy rain.
Union textiles ministry’s textile committee chairman Bharat Gandhi said over 600 t0 700 km of highway, sub highway, and state highways are being built in the country every day. At present, only 40 per cent of geofabric is made in India.
Geofabric, which plays an import role in the construction of highways, is made on water jack by a few small manufacturers of Ankleshwar and Surat.
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