The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Calcining powder used for making fly ash bricks?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 25, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Calcining powder used for making fly ash bricks?

Santosh Patnaik

“It is very dangerous in the aspect of buildings’ safety”

VISAKHAPATNAM: In a bid to make a fast buck, some miscreants are indiscriminately using calcining powder for fly ash brick manufacturing in the industrial area of the city and Atchyutapuram, posing a question mark over the safety of buildings.

With the establishment of APIIC Special Economic Zone and some industrial units outside the zone at Atchyutapuram, fly ash brick factories have mushroomed. Bricks made with calcining powder which has the same colour and appearance of fly ash powder, are even finding way for construction of residential projects raising concern in certain quarters.

Sources told The Hindu that the use of calcining powder in place of fly ash is very dangerous for the long-term safety of the construction work. The calcining powder, which does not have any adhesive quality unlike fly ash, is not at all suitable for brick manufacturing.

Calcining powder needs less time to dry as it contains no water unlike fly ash. Just to save time to dry it, calcining powder is in big demand. As calcining powder is not technically used, Visakhapatnam Steel Plant dumps it in a huge heap.

Sources said the powder available outside VSP area finds its way for supply to the brick manufacturers.

E block of Autonagar has substantial calcining powder as earth-filling material in mainly railway land. Some miscreants are selling this calcining powder to the innocent brick manufacturers as fly ash. In the process, large pits are appearing in railway land making it unsuitable for use in future.

Not only that, it is endangering some of the existing SSI units’ factory, which may cause serious accidents.

“APIIC and railway authority are apparently either unaware of it or they have turned a blind eye. We hope they will take suitable action soon,” a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh