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GURGAON: Although the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) intends to ban diesel gensets across NCR from September 1, only 632 industrial units in the state have converted to gas-based power backup so far.
Government data shows Haryana has more than 1 lakh industrial units, 80% of which are in the small and medium category. In the two months since the CAQM issued the order to ban diesel gensets, a majority of the industry owners has cited the high cost involved in the conversion to alternative fuel and the lack of infrastructure available for supplying adequate CNG and PNG.
Chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, who chaired a meeting of various departments in Chandigarh on Monday, announced that the government had formed a monitoring committee to ensure gas pipelines were laid and there was adequate supply of cleaner fuel to the industries. The committee, he said, will include representatives from the departments of industries and commerce, urban development and other local bodies. In the city, less than a hundred of 20,000-odd industrial units have converted to gas-based backup so far.
Ashok Kohli, who heads the chamber of industries in Udyog Vihar, also cited the high cost of conversion and the lack of infrastructure as “major obstacles”.
“The implementation of the CAQM order before September 1 looks difficult. We have requested the commission to exempt small industries from switching to cleaner fuel or at least allow them to use diesel gensets for the time being,” he said. Kohli also pointed to unscheduled outages, which led to production losses. He expressed concern for the industry owners, who have been trying to make up for the massive losses incurred during the Covid-induced lockdowns.
He said the power department should at least intimate factory owners about long outages so they could take necessary preparations. “This will help us cut down on losses. With the infrastructure available to us, investing a huge amount to switch to gas doesn’t seem viable at all,” Kohli told TOI.
Chief secretary Kaushal said the government was doing its bit in expediting the infrastructure through its “Right of Use and Right of Way” policy.
Kaushal said every district would conduct an outreach programme to raise awareness among the industry owners. At the meeting in Chandigarh, he took stock of the status of pipelines in various cities that have industrial units.
In Gurgaon, officials said, CNG/PNG pipelines are being connected to industrial clusters in Sector 33/34, Behrampur, IMT Manesar, Udyog Vihar and other areas.
Government data shows Haryana has more than 1 lakh industrial units, 80% of which are in the small and medium category. In the two months since the CAQM issued the order to ban diesel gensets, a majority of the industry owners has cited the high cost involved in the conversion to alternative fuel and the lack of infrastructure available for supplying adequate CNG and PNG.
Chief secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, who chaired a meeting of various departments in Chandigarh on Monday, announced that the government had formed a monitoring committee to ensure gas pipelines were laid and there was adequate supply of cleaner fuel to the industries. The committee, he said, will include representatives from the departments of industries and commerce, urban development and other local bodies. In the city, less than a hundred of 20,000-odd industrial units have converted to gas-based backup so far.
Ashok Kohli, who heads the chamber of industries in Udyog Vihar, also cited the high cost of conversion and the lack of infrastructure as “major obstacles”.
“The implementation of the CAQM order before September 1 looks difficult. We have requested the commission to exempt small industries from switching to cleaner fuel or at least allow them to use diesel gensets for the time being,” he said. Kohli also pointed to unscheduled outages, which led to production losses. He expressed concern for the industry owners, who have been trying to make up for the massive losses incurred during the Covid-induced lockdowns.
He said the power department should at least intimate factory owners about long outages so they could take necessary preparations. “This will help us cut down on losses. With the infrastructure available to us, investing a huge amount to switch to gas doesn’t seem viable at all,” Kohli told TOI.
Chief secretary Kaushal said the government was doing its bit in expediting the infrastructure through its “Right of Use and Right of Way” policy.
Kaushal said every district would conduct an outreach programme to raise awareness among the industry owners. At the meeting in Chandigarh, he took stock of the status of pipelines in various cities that have industrial units.
In Gurgaon, officials said, CNG/PNG pipelines are being connected to industrial clusters in Sector 33/34, Behrampur, IMT Manesar, Udyog Vihar and other areas.
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