With an aim to reduce carbon footprints, cut fuel cost and making the religious shrine environment friendly, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has decided to set up biogas plants in all 10 historic Gurdwara complexes to fire up its kitchen stoves from clean energy. The move is expected to address the twin problem of waste disposal by converting kitchen waste, vegetables, fruits peels and leftover langar food as clean fuel on daily basis.
Sardar Manjit Singh G K President of DSGMC said that recently DSGMC procures 'Piped Natural Gas' from Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) for cooking langars in all its Gurdwaras.
Initially first two bio gas plants will be set up at Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib which generates largest biodegradable waste among all historic Gurdwaras in national capital, he said.
He further said that the community kitchen in these Gurdwaras serves food to around 30,000 devotees every day. “The biogas plant would be set up in collaboration with the international repute organic waste convertor company and is likely to be funded by MNC under its 'Corporate Social Responsibility' (CSR) head,” he said.
Singh also said that each biogas plant will have the capacity to manage four quintal of food, vegetables, rotten fruits and kitchen waste daily in each Gurdwara. The project will be a major initiative under Swachh Bharat Mission and it will go a long way in solving the problems of chocked drains and making Gurdwaras complexes garbage free, he said.
He said that DSGMC has approved a proposal to rope in reputed consultant as adviser for the project. The company will find a suitable agency for executing the project and also supervise its implementation on behalf DSGMC.
The plants are expected to be operational by October 2018 at both Gurdwaras and will have the capacity of handling 1500 quintal of food, vegetables and kitchen waste annually, DSGMC said in a statement. It further said that the remaning community kitchens of all historic gurdwaras will be converted on bio fuel by the end of year 2019 in phased manner.
The major advantage of the plant is that the system of garbage handling will improve and waste segregation norms laid down by NDMC will be followed besides it will provide an alternative solution to the current energy crisis, it said.