Farm fires: Punjab directs thermal plants to prioritise local pellet suppliers

Taking a firm stand, thermal power plants across Punjab have been instructed to prioritise procurement of biomass pellets from manufacturers within the state, ending the previous practice of sourcing from Haryana.

Chief Environmental Engineer (Air) Dr Karunesh Garg confirmed that clear directives have been issued to all thermal plant operators to source pellets exclusively from Punjab-based units.

Additionally, Regional Officers in Ropar, Patiala, and Bathinda have been tasked with conducting regular audits to ensure compliance.

The decision follows objections raised by private pellet manufacturers in Punjab, who alleged that procurement clauses favoured large Haryana-based companies, leading to cartelisation and the marginalisation of smaller units.

Nearly 40 biomass pellet units currently operate in Punjab, with numbers steadily increasing as biomass fuel emerges as a promising alternative industry.

During a meeting with the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), pellet manufacturers raised concerns that the current procurement practices discourage effective stubble management in Punjab—the state with the highest incidence of farm fires. They highlighted that most thermal plants source pellets from Haryana instead of supporting local producers.

Amarinder Singh, owner of a pellet unit in Punjab, stated, “The majority of thermal plants here use pellets from Haryana, while small local manufacturers like us are being ignored.”

Punjab generates an estimated 20 million tonnes (MT) of paddy residue annually, with non-basmati varieties accounting for about 16 MT of this total.

Sukhbir Singh, a stubble management entrepreneur, warned, “If this trend continues, we will be forced out of business, and the entire stubble management initiative will collapse, leading to more farm fires.”

Paddy straw pellets are solid biofuels made by compressing processed paddy straw into dense cylindrical forms. They serve as a renewable alternative to coal for heating and power generation.

In 2023, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) directed the governments of Punjab and Haryana, along with power plant officials, to prioritise biomass pellets and ensure at least 5% blending of these pellets in fuel use.

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The Thermal Power Plant in Patiala currently has 10 suppliers, four of which are from outside Punjab. During a meeting on Friday, Deputy Commissioner Preeti Yadav directed the plant to prioritise Punjab-based suppliers to ensure effective stubble management in Patiala and neighbouring districts.

‘Parali Protection Force’ deployed

Meanwhile, the CAQM has instructed Punjab to establish a ‘Parali Protection Force’ at district and block levels to monitor and prevent stubble burning.

PPCB Superintendent Engineer Rajeev Gupta, the nodal officer for stubble management, said hotspot villages have been identified based on fire incident data. To address the issue, nearly 10,000 personnel have been deployed across 11,624 villages, including 5,000 nodal officers, 1,500 cluster coordinators, and 1,200 field officers.

These teams are required to submit daily action-taken reports through a mobile app—Action Taken Report (ATR)—developed jointly by the PPCB and Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC), following physical verification of fire incidents.