PATNA, April 27 -- Road Construction Department (RCD) will now use silt dredged from rivers, canals, ponds and other water bodies as a key material for building roads, moving away from heavy reliance on fly ash. The state cabinet has simplified rules for extracting this silt, making the process smoother for road projects, said a senior RCD officer. The change comes as thermal power plants struggle to supply enough fly ash, while farmers are increasingly unwilling to part with topsoil from their fields, fearing it will harm soil fertility and crop yields. Previously, road builders had to scramble for soil or other fill materials when fly ash ran short. The provision to use river and pond silt already existed in guidelines, but bureaucratic hurdles slowed things down. Officials have now done away with the need for a no-objection certificate from the state level environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA). Instead, a district-level committee headed by district magistrate will clear proposals for lifting silt. This is expected to cut red tape and speed up work significantly. An executive engineer with the RCD explained the distinction between materials: "Silt is well-defined. Fine particles smaller than 0.2 mm in diametre from rivers like the Ganga, Gandak or Bagmati count as silt, while larger grains are sand. We will strictly use silt, not sand, to avoid any impact on riverbeds." It is said that road construction has disturbed a vast range of agricultural land by scooping up fertile topsoil. With fly ash in short supply and its use limited, builders turned more to farmland soil, creating pressure on farmers. De-silted material from water bodies offers a practical alternative. It not only provides fill for road foundations but also helps restore capacity of rivers, ponds and canals to hold water, reducing flood risks and improving irrigation for nearby fields. The policy will apply across state highways, district roads and major projects. The RCD requires huge quantity of soil to build a 6-km section along the JP Ganga Path near Digha up to Samagra Udyan and Sabhyata Dwar, an 8.5-km stretch from Bhadra Ghat to Deedarganj in Patna, and the four-lane greenfield road from Salepur to Rajgir in Nalanda (about 27.18 km). In Buxar, silt will support four-laning of Chausa-Buxar bypass on NH-319. In Darbhanga, it will go into the four-laning and elevated sections of the Balbhadrapur to Bela Navada stretch on NH-119. Bihar is pushing hard on road infrastructure. The RCD needs massive quantities of fill material for everything -- from routine upgrades to ambitious expressways and greenfield corridors. Land acquisition remains a challenge for many projects. Senior officers said using de-silted material will ease the demand for fertile soil while giving a boost to desilting efforts that help water bodies function better. This dual benefit - stronger roads without stripping farmland and healthier rivers and ponds - is being welcomed as a practical step for the state's development needs. The RCD has asked district administrations to coordinate closely with the water resources department so that silt extraction happens in a planned manner, without harming the environment....