Biomass plants fail to ferry stubble

Biomass plants fail to ferry stubble Archit Watts/TNS

Muktsar, October 29
Despite the appeal to the farmers by the state government to sell the paddy stubble to the biomass plants rather than burning them in the open fields, the effort has so far failed to yield the desired results due to the indifference of the authorities of the biomass plants.
In its ongoing campaign, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) has given the contact numbers of five biomass plants set up across the state mentioning that the plant owners would themselves carry the stubble from the fields after purchasing it from the farmers. But a majority of them do not even attend the phone calls being made by the farmers.
After some farmers levelled allegations in this regard, this correspondent repeatedly tried to call on the numbers given by the PPCB, but except for one bio mass plant at Gulabewala village in the district, none attended a single call.
And interestingly, the official of that sole biomass plant where the phone call was attended also said that there was no arrangement to bring the stubble from the fields.
"The stubble would have to be brought here by the farmers itself. We are purchasing it at our plant established at Gulabewala village in Muktsar district. May be the other units are buying and bringing it from the fields, but our policy is different," said an official of Malwa Power Limited.
He also claimed that Deep Development Engineer Private Limited in village Gadda Dob of Ferozepur was also owned by the same management.
Repeated phone calls made to the Universal Biomass Energy Private Limited in village Channu, Muktsar, Punjab Biomass Power Private Limited in Bhagora, Patiala and Green Planet Energy Private Limited, Binjon in Hoshiarpur, failed to evoke any response.
Amardeep Singh, a farmer of Muktsar district, said, "I have been trying to make a phone call to the biomass plant in village Channu for the last four days, but no one has answered it. So, finally I have decided to burn the stubble in the fields as it is easy to clear the fields for the next sowing rather than waiting for any other option.

Courtesy: The Tribune