BATHINDA, June 23 -- The ambitious central project to set up a Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) bio-refinery, a first-of-its-kind project in India, to tackle the problem of paddy stubble burning in Punjab, has lost its sheen. The Bathinda administration has not included the Rs.1,400-crore plant set up at Naseebpura village in the district for the current kharif season's stubble management plan, as the project is still far from commencing operations for utilising paddy straw for the production of ethanol for blending with petrol. According to information, the HPCL plant started sourcing paddy stubble in 2023 and in the last two kharif seasons, it collected approximately 1.25 lakh tonnes of residue, but it remains a non-starter. HPCL officials associated with the Bathinda-based plant remain tightlipped on the project. However, Punjab official sources familiar with the development of the mega central project, being developed as a pilot project, say that HPCL authorities are sceptical about its economic viability. "The HPCL project was aimed at a model initiative to push ex-situ management of the rice straw. The designed production capacity of this 2G ethanol plant was pegged at 100 kilo litre (KL) ethanol per day. For this purpose, 570 MT of paddy straw was required to be utilised per day or two lakh tonnes annually, when the plant operates at its full capacity. The plant started sourcing residue in 2023, but two years later, there is still no indication when it could be operational," said the state official requesting anonymity. Bathinda deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray confirmed that the administration has not considered the HPCL project as a potential user of the organic waste. "The plant was expected to start operations in March last year, but it got delayed due to non-completion. We do not expect it to be functional till year-end and we cannot depend upon it at all for ex-situ paddy residue management. This year, the plant will not source paddy stubble as it is not operational," says the DC. Paddy sowing commenced in Punjab from June 1. Residue management of the key kharif crop remains a burning issue every year.A sizeable section of farmers resort to burning stubble of non-basmati varieties, triggering air pollution in October-November every year. The Centre as well as Punjab and Haryana, have come up with solutions for in-situ management, involving incorporation of stubble into the soil, and ex-situ management involving lifting stubble from fields and supplying it to stubble-based industrial units. Bathinda produces about 12 lakh tonnes of paddy stubble every year and the authorities have planned to utilise about 9 lakh tonnes of it. Parray said the administration is emphasising ex-situ residue management, where it would be used mainly as a fuel in the industries....