The much acclaimed Power from Pirul (dried Pine needles) policy and the subsidy offered by the state government in the venture is finding favour with the entrepreneurs.As many as 21 people have submitted applications for setting up Pirul based projects in the state. It is learnt that almost all applicants are residents of Uttarakhand.
In order to give another push for setting up Pirul based projects in the state, the state government has decided to provide land on lease to the entrepreneurs.
The draft of the policy for providing land on lease is also ready and would be tabled in the state cabinet anytime after the model code of conduct in the state is removed. Talking to The Pioneer, the additional secretary, power and renewable energy, Captain (retd) Alok Shekhar Tiwari said that 20 entrepreneurs have shown interest to set up power projects while one has applied for the project of making bricks from Pirul. He said that under the scheme, power units ranging from 1 KW to 500 KW can be set up in the state and under the agreement with the state government, the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) would purchase the power produced at Rs 7.41 per unit, which is a big encouragement.
He said that the state and district level bankers committees have been asked to provide easy loans to the entrepreneurs interested to set up Pirul based projects in the state.
The state government offers a subsidy of 40 percent for setting up Pirul based power plants.Tiwari added that at least 12 people get direct employment in a small power plant while up-to 150 people get indirect employment.
According to a rough estimate, Pine trees occupy a space of 4 lakh hectares of land in the state and cover 16.36 percent of total forest area of Uttarakhand. An estimated 15 lakh tonnes of Pirul is produced by the Pine forests of the state.
As per the official figures, 40 percent of this Pirul can be used for industrial and other uses.Industrial use of Pirul is one of the pet projects of Uttarakhand chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
Apart from power generation from Pirul, the objective of the state government is to create employment opportunities in the mountainous areas of the state.The large scale industrial usage of Pirul is also beneficial for the environment.
Due to its highly inflammable nature, Pirul is one of the major causes of forest fires during summers.