German firm to set up bio-gas plant in Sangrur

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today cleared a German company's proposal for setting up a Rs 100 crore bio-gas CNG plant in Sangrur which had been lying in the cold storage for the past three years.

The erstwhile SAD-BJP government had signed the MoU in 2015 but had failed to give the necessary clearances to the company Verbio, an official spokesperson said.

The chief minister handed over the approval letter to Verbio's Director Oliver Luetdke at a meeting here.

Besides giving the go-ahead to the Rs 100 crore plant, to be set up at Bhutal Kalan in Lehragaga block of Sangrur, the chief minister also gave in-principle approval for nine more such plants to come up in other parts of the state at an additional investment of Rs 900 crore, with direct employment potential of over 5,000 people, the spokesperson added.

The plant to be come up at Bhutal Kalan would produce 33,000 kgs of bio-CNG and 45,000 tons of organic manure annually.

With the commissioning of nine other plants having same capacity to produce bio-CNG and organic manure, the production of both these products would multiply manifold, enabling the state to tackle the menace of air pollution caused by stubble burning to a significant extent, the spokesperson said.

The chief minister expressed the hope that the project would be instrumental in ensuring remunerative price of bio-waste, especially paddy stubble, for the farmer.

He said the state had approximately 20 million tons of paddy stubble which could be utilised for the production of bio-CNG and green manure.

He also asked Verbio to explore the possibility of utilising the state's huge stock of sugarcane bagasse for the generation of bio-CNG and organic manure.

Expressing concern over the loss of soil fertility due to overuse of chemical fertilisers, he said the farmers should make aggressive use of organic manure as it would not only enhance the quality of soil and its texture but also result in higher yield and enhanced income for the farmers.