Community kitchens in city gurdwaras to switch to biogas

◗ The community kitchens of remaining 8 Gurdwaras will switch to bio fuel by the end of 2019, said Harjit Singh, who heads renewable energy wing of DSGMC

Delhi’s Gurdwara management committee has planned to switch from piped natural gas to biogas to run its langar kitchen in ten shrines here, including Bangla Sahib and Rakab Ganj Gurdwara.

The move is aimed at reducing carbon footprint, cut fuel cost and making the shrines environment friendly, said Manjeet Singh GK, the president of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee ( DSGMC). Initially, the bio gas plants would be set up at Rakab Ganj and Bangla Sahib that generate largest quantity of bio- degradable waste, Singh said. The community kitchen in these Gurdwaras serves food to around 30,000 visiting devotees every day. Each plant would have the capacity to manage four quintal of kitchen waste per day, he said.

“The biogas plant would be set up in collaboration with an internationally reputed organic waste convertor company and is likely to be funded by a multinational corporation under its corporate social responsibility,” Singh said. The community kitchens of remaining eight Gurdwaras will switch to bio fuel by the end of 2019 in a phased manner, said Harjit Singh, who heads renewable energy wing of DSGMC.

The operating cost of the plant is low and there is no need for maintenance for initial two years. It is very easy to operate once installed, he said. The manure produced in the process will be used as fertiliser for garden and lawns at the shrines, he added.