Protests against compressed biogas plants: Punjab government to convene meeting with all stakeholders
Punjab’s efforts to boost compressed biogas (CBG) production are facing challenges as protests halt progress on several CBG plants. Investors, who have committed significant funds to use agricultural waste like paddy straw and press mud, are frustrated by the government’s slow response to address safety concerns raised by local residents and farmer unions. Protests stem from fears of carcinogenic chemicals and unpleasant odors. To resolve the impasse, the Punjab Government has organized a meeting involving stakeholders, including scientists and protesters, to facilitate informed discussions.
As Punjab struggles to attract private investment and find scientific solutions for managing agricultural waste, investors who have committed hundreds of crores to compressed biogas (CBG) projects are frustrated by the government’s lack of action in addressing what they claim are misleading narratives about their facilities, reported The Tribune.
Many investors in CBG production, who intend to use paddy straw, press mud, and other agricultural waste as raw materials, received approval for their projects two to three years ago. The state government had planned to initiate work on 24 CBG plants this year. However, protests from local residents and farmer unions at several plant sites (four in Ludhiana and one in Jalandhar) have halted progress.
Investors assert that they have already invested hundreds of crores, with individual investments ranging from Rs 50 crore to Rs 150 crore, depending on the plant’s production capacity.
The protests are primarily led by farmer union members who are concerned that the chemicals produced during biogas generation could be carcinogenic and contaminate the soil and food chain. In cases where CBG plants use press mud, the protests have also been driven by complaints about unpleasant odors from the biogas units.
Some CBG producers with plants in other states have attempted to demonstrate the safety and efficiency of their operations by inviting protesters to visit these facilities, but these efforts have had limited success. In response, the Punjab Government has scheduled a meeting in Ludhiana on Tuesday with biogas plant owners, community health experts, scientists, and protesters.
VK Singh, Special Chief Secretary to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, will attend the meeting. He stated, “We are working to bring all stakeholders together to have a scientific discussion on the issue, so that informed opinions can be formed.”
Out of 38 allocated CBG plants in Punjab, only three are currently operational. Sobhan Sahu, managing partner of Farm Gas Pvt Ltd., which operates a biogas plant in Ghungrali Rajputan near Khanna, lamented that despite starting operations in September 2022, his plant has been shut down by farmer unions since June of this year.
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