Locals suffer as sugar mill plant continues to emit black ash
People residing within 45 km of the mill are suffering from breathing problems and irritation in eyes
NAWANSHAHR : With neither the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) nor the district administration intervening to resolve the issue despite repeated protests, the local residents continue to suffer from the black ash being emitted by the newly established biomass power plant in the premises of the Nawanshahr Cooperative Sugar Mill Plant here.
A few months after the installation of the biomass power plant, the black ash, being emitted from the chimneys installed at the mill, started gathering at the houses situated in the radius of about 4-5 km and in the open resulting in breathing problems and irritation in eyes of the residents and creating problems for commuters.
Residents, led by sangharsh committees and non-governmental organisations (NGOS) have organised a number of protests and repeatedly written letters to all the authorities concerned to solve the problem, but to no avail.
According to information, the plant, Nawanshahr Power Private Limited, set up in August last year by the Saraya Industries, reportedly owned by the senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, with a capacity of producing 15-megawatt (MW) power, was built on build on operating and transfer (BOT) basis. The aim of this plant was to produce power from paddy stubble and sugarcane residue.
As per the agreement under the BOT basis, the entrusted firm is supposed to run the plant for 15 years and then hand it over to the sugar mill authorities. On the barter of sugarcane residue, the firm has to provide free electricity to the mill besides providing steam for boiling. The mill authorities are also getting 5.5% share of the electricity being sold to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).
Experts said that the plant is two-polar, which is supposed to use only sugarcane residue as a fuel while the company has also been using stubble and other fuels which need three-polar system, which is the reason behind the emission of black ash.
Amit Kumar, deputy commissioner (DC), acknowledging the problem said that he had written to the PPCB to sort the problem at the earliest. “I am also fed up with this problem as the black ash gathers on my house as well but now the problem will be solved in a week even if we have to order the closure of the plant,” the DC said.
Jasbir Deep, who has formed the Lok Sangharsh Committee, to solve the problem said that they have been protesting since November, but the authorities have failed to listen to their appeals.
"It has become difficult for all of us to come out of our houses with bare faces. Even our clothes get stained with black ashes even if we go out of the houses for just one hour," he said.
Bandyopadhyay, managing director (MD) of the plant, said that despite the installation of an electric static precipitator the black ash problem has not ended. “We have called experts to solve the problem,” he said.