PATNA, June 9 -- Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) will set up a five-tonne-per-day (5 TPD) capacity biogas plant on the Bazar Samiti premises in the capital city. The project will be funded by GIZ, a Germany-based development agency, under the Mitigation Action Facility (MAF) scheme. According to PMC commissioner Animesh Parashar, Patna is among four cities selected for this initiative under the MAF-funded "Waste Solution for a Circular Economy in India" project. Similar plants have been approved by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Bengaluru (Karnataka), and Trichy (Tamil Nadu). The Patna plant is expected to cost around Rs.20-25 crore. A senior PMC officer said a detailed project report was being prepared under the supervision of the commissioner. The main objective is to reduce the load of biodegradable waste at the Bairiya waste management site and generate energy from the waste. "Bazar Samiti generates about 5,000 kg of biodegradable waste every day, and its disposal has been a major challenge. We expect this waste to produce around 250 kg of biogas and about 600 kg of organic manure daily. Organic fertilisers are in high demand and are sold at a premium," the officer said. The PMC officer said it would be used for commercial purposes, including supplying gas through pipelines to nearby houses as an alternative to LPG. Biogas is significantly cheaper than LPG, and its regular availability could help nearby residents switch from LPG. Rural development department and district administrations have also been setting up biogas plants under the Lohiya Swachh Mission. These plants use biodegradable waste and cow dung as ingredients to produce biogas and supply it through pipelines to residents....