Lack of ‘eco-friendly’ stubble pellets irks brick kiln owners in Punjab
The owners of around 2,800 brick kilns in Punjab are struggling to meet the state government's mandate to replace 20% of their fuel with pellets made from paddy stubble due to a lack of availability. The kiln owners are also seeking a cap on prices and claim that the pellets are of poor quality. The Punjab Pollution Control Board has offered financial support to set up manufacturing units, but both sides must work together to resolve the issue.
Even a month after the deadline for blending coal with stubble pellets in the brick kilns got over, the owners of the around 2,800 units in the state are jousting with the availability issues.
In an attempt to promote paddy straw as fuel in the industry, the state government has made it mandatory for the brick kilns to replace their 20% fuel with pellets made from paddy stubble. The Department of Science, Technology and Environment issued a notification in November last year and appointed Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) as the authority for the implementation of these new rules
“There is no availability of stubble in the state at this time. Then how come pellets will be manufactured and how will we use them?” asked Kewal Karishan, president of the brick kiln owners’ association from Sangrur.
Ramesh Mohi, state president of the brick kiln owners’ association, said that all the units are ready to use paddy pellets for environmental sake. “However, the government must ensure its supply along with capping the price. The brick kiln industry cannot bear another financial burden. We are going to meet with the officials of PPCB this week and we are hopeful of an early resolution of all the issues,” Mohi said.
The kiln owners are also seeking a cap on prices terming the current prices as economically not viable for them. They said the brick kilns require 2.5 times more paddy straw than the coal to generate the same amount of heat.
Surinder Singla, president of the Patiala brick kiln owner’s association, said, “The market price of 1kg coal is ₹15, while the price of stubble pellets of the same quantity is between ₹8 to ₹10. To replace 1kg coal, we will have to use 2.5kg pellets which means it will cost us ₹5 to ₹10 more than the coal.”
He also said the quality of available pellets was not good. “The pellets have been made with a mixture of sugarcane straw. Therefore, they are of no use to us,” he said.
PPCB chairman AP Vig, said, “Six months were given to them for making arrangements of pellets. We are offering one-time financial support of up to ₹1 crore if they want to set up their manufacturing unit. Two units with the help of the board have already been set up in the state and approval of four other units is underway. Besides, there are other units also which are making pellets on a small scale without government help. Both sides will have to make an effort to resolve this issue.”
