Panipat: Long wait for gas-based boilers has industry in a fix

Mukesh Tandon

Panipat, October 3

Shortage of gas-based boilers and equipment has failed textile industrialists’ efforts to switch to cleaner fuels. The waiting period for getting a new gas-based boiler ranges from six months to one year, while minimum six months are needed for getting requisite equipment for existing boilers.

Over 500 coal-based industries (dyeing and blanket manufacturing units) are lying closed for the past three days.

Air control panel’s directive

• In February, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said no industrial unit would be allowed to operate on fossil fuels in NCR after September 30
• It also said that any unit found running on banned fuel would have to pay a penalty of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore, besides its owners facing five-year jail

Unit owners’ dilemma

• The waiting period for getting a new gas-based boiler ranges from 6 months to one year
• Minimum 6 months’ wait for getting requisite equipment for existing boilers
• An industrialist has to bear an expense of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore for switching to gas-based boilers

In February, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) issued directions that no industrial unit would be allowed to operate on fossil fuels in the NCR after September 30. It also said that any unit found running on the banned fuel would have to pay a penalty of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 1 crore, besides its owners facing five-year jail.

Ashok Gupta, vice-president of the Panipat Exporters’ Association, said it was not easy to switch from coal-fired boilers to PNG or biomass fuel.

Few manufacturers

If any industrialist wants to switch to gas-based boilers, he will have to purchase new boilers, but only a few companies manufacture these boilers in the region. —Ashok Gupta, Vice-prez of the exporters’ body

“If any industrialist wants to switch to gas-based boilers, he will have to purchase new ones, but only a few companies manufacture these boilers in the region. Before the delivery of boilers to industrialists, these are inspected around eight times by government officials,” he added.

“Around 400 units had to change their boilers in Panipat, of which only 34 had done it so far. In the NCR, over 1,400 units need to switch to gas-based boilers. Due to this reason, there is a long waiting period for the delivery of gas-based boilers,” he added.

Hike in the prices of biomass fuels (rice husk, wooden blocks etc.) due to their shortage in the open market was another cause for concern, he said.

Pritam Singh Sachdeva, president of the Panipat Industrial Association, said the industry here needed 2-4 tonne boilers. “The boiler costs around Rs 15 lakh per tonne, while around Rs 30-40 lakh is needed for a PNG connection. An industrialist has to bear an extra expense of Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore for switching to gas-based boilers. The waiting period for a new boiler is 6-12 months,” he added.

A delegation of Panipat industrialists, including Lalit Goyal, Vibhu Paliwal, Bheem Rana and Shree Bhagwan Aggarwal, have approached Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Environment Change Bhupender Yadav in Delhi, seeking more time to switch over to the cleaner fuels.