After it came to the fore recently that Punjab-based manufacturers of biomass pellets were being sidelined in favour of those from Haryana, the Punjab government has instructed thermal plant owners across the state to prioritise procurement of biomass pellet manufacturers from within the state.
Dr. Karunesh Garg, Chief Environmental Engineer (Air), confirmed that clear directives had been issued to all thermal plant operators to source pellets exclusively from Punjab-based units.
He also said that regional officers in Ropar, Patiala, and Bathinda had been tasked with conducting regular audits to ensure compliance in the matter.
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, who are required to submit daily action-taken reports through a mobile app, ‘Action Taken Report’, which has been developed jointly by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC).
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Punjab generates an estimated 20 million tonnes (MT) of paddy residue annually, with non-basmati varieties accounting for about 16 MT of this total.
Biomass pellets provide a sustainable solution to stubble burning by converting agricultural waste into a clean energy fuel, which can then be used in power plants and brick kilns, creating an economic incentive for farmers to collect and sell it instead of burning it. Not only does this reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it offers farmers with an alternative income source for their agricultural residue.
A recent meeting of the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) and pellet manufacturers had raised the issue of current procurement practices, with Punjab’s pellet manufacturers alleging that the practices discourage effective stubble management in the state since most thermal plant operators prefer to source pellets from Haryana instead of supporting local producers.
The Thermal Power Plant in Patiala, for instance, has 10 suppliers of biomass pellets, four of whom are from outside Punjab.
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 per cent blending of these pellets in fuel use.
The CAQM has instructed Punjab to establish a ‘Parali Protection Force’ at district and block levels to monitor and prevent stubble burning.
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