New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the government is working on setting up bio CNG plants in 75 major municipal bodies over the next two years.
Inaugurating the municipal solid waste-based ‘Gobar Dhan’ (bio CNG) plant in Indore virtually, the Prime Minister said such plants would help make Indian cities pollution-free and move towards clean energy.
Besides cities, Gobar Dhan plants are being set up in villages, helping farmers earn extra income. This will help in dealing with the problem of stray and unsupported cattle along with meeting India’s climate commitments, he said.
Noting that lakhs of tonne of solid waste had been piled up at land masses across cities, leading to air and water pollution, he said that over the past seven years the NDA government has taken up several steps towards a permanent solution to the problem.
Modi said that in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission, the government is working to remove this garbage and convert these mountains of garbage into green zones in the next two-three years.
“It is the government’s effort to make as many Indian cities ‘water plus’. This is being stressed in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission,” he said.
Outlining the government’s measures towards a cleaner environment, Modi said that the ethanol blending in petrol has increased from 1% to around 8% in last the 7-8 years. Supply of ethanol increased significantly during this period from 40 crore litres to 300 crore litres, helping sugar mills and farmers, he said.
He also mentioned the decision in this year’s budget to mandate coal-based electricity plants to use stubble. “This will help alleviating farmers’ troubles and will also provide extra income for farmers from agri-waste”, he said.
The plant in Indore on Saturday has a capacity to treat 550 tonne per day of segregated wet organic waste. It is expected to produce around 17,000 kg per day of CNG, and 100 tonne per day of organic compost.
Indore Clean Energy Pvt Ltd, a special purpose vehicle to implement the project, was set up by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Indo Enviro Integrated Solutions Ltd (IEISL) under a public-private partnership model, with 100% capital investment of ₹150 crores by IEISL, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Indore Municipal Corporation will purchase a minimum of 50% of CNG produced by the plant and run 400 city buses on the CNG. The balance quantity of CNG will be sold in the open market. The organic compost will help replace chemical fertilisers for agricultural and horticultural purposes.
Source: anyfeed.in
