Bizmen eye setting up stubble management plants in Punjab

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 30

For years, stubble burning has been the biggest environmental challenge for policy-makers in Punjab. Despite heavy investment on stubble management machines, the problem has persisted.

Rue delay in getting clearances

As of now, only six plants are commissioned, though many more applications are pending. If the government addresses this delay in getting clearances, we can see a much better paddy straw management on the ground. — Sanjeev Nagpal, Veteran in industrial use of stubble

This year, though the number of stubble burning incidents have come down (from 79,000 last year to 71,299 this year) and the burnt area has reduced from 17.42 lakh hectare to 14.11 lakh hectare, the reduction is not in consonance with the heavy investment of hundreds of crores that has been made on buying stubble management machinery.

Realising this, some entrepreneurs, who are either into making bio CNG or bio manure from paddy stubble, are now keen to set up new projects in the state. With 20 million tonnes of paddy straw generated in the state annually, these entrepreneurs are eyeing it as a perfect business opportunity. Also, the Government of India’s Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme is keeping them enthused for making compressed bio gas.

Ashish Kumar, managing director of VERBIO India, the biggest bio fuel plant in the country, that is coming up in Lehragaga, told The Tribune that renewable gas had the potential of emerging as the most promising industry in Punjab.

Sanjeev Nagpal, a veteran in the industrial use of paddy stubble in Punjab, said there had been an inadvertent delay on the part of various departments in giving clearances for setting up the projects.

Information gathered by The Tribune from the state Industries Department reveals that 27 applications of investors willing to go for industrial use of stubble have been received.