NEW DELHI: Mounds of garbage sprouting in cities and coal mines shut due to high ash contents may soon fire cooking stoves in kitchens, as the government is gearing up to unveil an ambitious plan to cut down the dependence on west Asian countries for LPG imports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked the NITI Aayog for solutions to piling of urban garbage at landfill sites in a number of big cities. The think tank panel has drawn up a blueprint which can offer not just viable business opportunities for private players but help India cut down its import bill substantially.
“The urban solid waste lying unattended at various landfill sites like Ghazipur on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border could be converted into gas, which can be utilised as LPG for cooking needs. Besides, there is excessive ash content at several mines in the states like West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, which are not in demand amongst the coal-based power plants. Coals with high ash contents can also be converted into LPG,” V K Saraswat, a member of NITI Aayog, told The Sunday Standard.
However, the government doesn’t appear keen to push the plan through public sector entities and want to rope in private players. Coal India, incidentally, has been asked to set up a “demonstrative plant” in West Bengal, which will showcase the technology and the business process to the private players to help them take part in the ambitious plan of the government, sources said.
“The Central government will unveil a regulatory policy, which will set the terms for the engagement of the private players in tapping gas from the municipal solid waste and coals with high ash contents. The policy will address concerns of the states where the coal mines are located and the municipal bodies to allow the private players to set up plants at various locations for tapping gas from garbage and bottling in LPG cylinders,” sources added.
“The government will soon roll out regulatory policy. All the oil PSUs have agreed to use gas generated from wastes and coal with high ash contents as LPG,”
sources added.With the NDA government looking to substantially enhance the LPG cooking coverage in the country, the Centre is keen that indigenous solutions be tapped to cut down growing import bill of the country.