The first and largest biopolymer plant in the country is being installed at the Kumbhi Sugar Mills Limited factory in Lakhimur-Khiri, Uttar Pradesh. This project, valued at 300 billion rupees, will produce polylactic acid (PLA)—a biodegradable bioplastic made from sugar cane.
A giant machine called the 'Cyclageson Reactor' was imported from Belgium to implement the project. After a six-month journey, it reached Varanasi, having been transported from the Paradeep port in Odisha by road, incurring transportation costs exceeding 10 billion rupees.
However, near the Dafhi toll gate in Varanasi, this enormous trailer got stuck on a temporary dirt road. Currently, metal sheets are being laid on the ground to extract it, along with the assistance of two trailers, cranes, hydraulic machines, and technical crews to move the machine forward.
The presence of this colossal trailer has attracted the attention of thousands of local residents in the Lanka and Dafhi areas of Varanasi, who are taking photos with it and creating videos for social media.
According to NHAI officials, all transportation costs are covered by the company itself, which pays for passage on toll roads. The responsibility for the safe delivery of this machine lies with the leading Indian logistics company JM Bakshi Heavy Company. A team of over 62 employees, led by Senior Project Manager Aneek Bharati, constantly accompanies the truck, which has served as a temporary residence for them in recent months.
When departing from Odisha, this multi-axle truck had 308 wheels, but the number was later reduced to 260 wheels according to transport conditions. Three additional engines are used to tow this massive trailer: one for flat terrain and more than one for inclines.
The route began with a sea voyage from Belgium to the Paradeep port (Odisha), after which it proceeded through Jharkhand and Bihar to Varanasi. Subsequently, the machine will be transported from Kumbhi to Lakhimur via the Rajatalab, Gajipur, Gorakhor, and Balarpur ring roads.
In Varanasi, a problem arose regarding the need to dismantle about six overhead bridges obstructing the movement of this super-large machine. The machine is expected to reach Lakhimur within the next two to three weeks. The goal is to install the machine within approximately a month under the supervision of foreign technical specialists. The Uttar Pradesh government is monitoring the entire project daily.