As northern India grapples with a severe smog crisis worsened by stubble burning, an ambitious project aimed at addressing agricultural waste has come to a halt, reported India Today.

Punjab’s initiative to reduce pollution through Compressed Biogas (CBG) plants, seen as a sustainable solution to the stubble-burning issue, has been significantly affected by ongoing farmer protests. The state planned to establish 38 such plants, but currently, only five are operational, and none are running at full capacity.

These CBG plants were designed to convert agricultural waste, including crop stubble, cow dung, and press-mud, into compressed natural gas. The project aimed to provide an eco-friendly alternative for managing stubble, which, when burned, contributes significantly to air pollution.

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Farmers were encouraged to deliver their crop residues to these facilities instead of burning them, with the expectation that this would produce biogas and other byproducts while helping to reduce pollution.

Despite the potential benefits, the project has faced significant pushback. Protests have halted the operations of four CBG plants, with farmers claiming these facilities pose environmental and health risks to local communities, potentially contaminating air and soil.

A visit by India Today to a CBG plant in Gunghrali village (Ludhiana) revealed that the facility, which began operations in 2022, has been closed since May due to farmer protests.

“The plant was established to address the stubble issue and benefit the environment. However, Punjab is now seen as a threat to the industrial sector. We spent Rs 70 crores to set up the plant, and despite it being closed, we continue to pay substantial EMIs and salaries to our staff,” said Pankaj Singh, the Plant Operational Head.

“Additionally, three other plants in the region are also non-operational, and we’ve been reaching out for support, but the state has taken no action,” he added.

Regarding the plant’s capacity, Pankaj Singh explained, “In one season, we collect 35,000 tonnes of stubble. With a daily intake of 30 tonnes, we can produce eight tonnes of CNG each day.”

Although the Centre allocated a total of 38 such plants to the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), only five have become operational to date. Pankaj Singh emphasized that if all the plants were functioning, the stubble-burning problem would likely have been resolved by now.

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