Adampur MLA Sukhwinder Kotli seeks scrapping of pact on bio-CNG plant

Advertisement

Jalandhar, July 29

Seeking the scrapping of the agreement for a bio-CNG plant at Bhogpur, Congress MLA from Adampur Sukhwinder Kotli and farmers from the area met Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal on Monday.

Kotli had got a drone survey of the area done and showed images, which he had procured to make a point that the entire area in the vicinity of Bhogpur sugar mill, inside which the plant is proposed to come up, is thickly populated.

He said any negative impact because of the plant due to a rise in the pollution level or traffic blockade because of press mud from mills in Nawanshahar and Nakodar would be troublesome for these residents.

As farmers had accompanied Kotli, he said the sugar mill was already facing the space shortage for readying sugarcane saplings to be distributed to farmers in the area. “If this plant comes up, the mill will have no space for sugarcane nursery and experimentation on newer varieties. He said, “At the time the mill starts functioning, there already is no space for accommodating sugarcane-laden trolleys that the farmers bring in. The bio-CNG plant will add to the obstruction in traffic”.

On a bigger issue that 70 tonnes of wet MC waste from the city would be going to the plant for processing on a daily basis, the local administration got a clarification issued from the mill. Administrator of Bhogpur Cooperative Sugar Mill Sangram Singh on Monday dismissed all reports about the processing of municipal waste at the upcoming bio CNG plant in the sugar mill.

Chairing a meeting on the sugar mill premises, the Administrator-cum-Deputy Registrar, Cooperative Societies, stated that as per the MoU signed with the company, there was no provision for processing municipal waste at this plant.

Accompanied by General Manager, Bhogpur Sugar Mill, Surinder Pal, the administrator revealed that the plant would use only ‘press mud’ generated during cane crushing as fuel to operate the plant. Officials from the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation and the PPCB were also present at the meeting, confirming that there was no provision or proposal to process municipal waste at the site.