Gurugram’s industrial units seek relaxations in DG set ban

Grap will come into effect from October 1 and the running of diesel generators in NCR districts will be restricted to deal with poor air quality. Only generators retrofitted for using cleaner fuels will be allowed to operate for a maximum of two hours per day

City-based industrialists on Thursday urged authorities to relax restrictions imposed on the use of diesel generators by the Commission for Air Quality Monitoring (CAQM) as part of the graded response action plan (Grap) to combat winter pollution.

According to the industrialists, not more than 50% of units in the city have managed to switch their generators to use CNG and PNG as fuels. They further said that authorities have not been able to provide PNG infrastructure in all industrial areas and there is a dearth of retrofitted generators. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Grap will come into effect from October 1 and the running of diesel generators in NCR districts will be restricted to deal with poor air quality. Only generators retrofitted for using cleaner fuels will be allowed to operate for a maximum of two hours per day.

Industries can either use PNG as fuel, or biomass in cases where there is no gas supply available. In case both fuel sources are unavailable, units can use coal till January 1, following which they will be mandated to switch to gas.

According to the industrialists, not more than 50% of units in the city have managed to switch their generators to use CNG and PNG as fuels. They further said that authorities have not been able to provide PNG infrastructure in all industrial areas and there is a dearth of retrofitted generators.

Manesar industrialists complained of regular power cuts and said that a blanket ban on diesel generators will put industries under economic duress. “If authorities ensure 24-hour power supply, no one will need generators. The switch to PNG is not possible because pipelines have not been laid,” Pawan Yadav, president, IMT Manesar Industrial Association, said.

Some business owners said that though the power supply has been consistent, plant operators cannot rely solely on one source of power as critical machinery gets affected even if the grid fails for a few minutes. According to Manmohan Gaind, vice president, Manesar Industries Welfare Association industries use generators in the absence of any other options as it incurs a high production cost. “Several units cannot afford to shut down or halt industrial processes in the event of power failure and hence depend on generators. Also, a lot of these plants don’t have retrofitted generators yet,” he said.

According to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the restrictions on the use of diesel generators have been imposed by the CAQM. The board is a coordinating agency for implementing Grap guidelines across NCR districts in Haryana. The board has repeatedly asked industries to switch to cleaner fuels over the past several years, officials said. HPSCB has asked the power department to ensure an uninterrupted power supply during the Grap period.

PC Meena, managing director, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), said that domestic and industrial power demands are being constantly fulfilled in Gurugram. “There is no shortage of power supply in Gurugram. We have enough infrastructure to supply power even if demand increases,” he said.

According to Meena, two to three industrial units in Manesar have been found violating norms and operating diesel generators in the past, despite having electricity connections. “We wrote to the concerned departments and those units were eventually shut down. We also disconnected their regular power supply after discovering the violations,” he added.

Kuldip Singh, regional officer, HPSCB, said that teams have been formed to act against violators found to be operating diesel generators during the Grap period. “The diesel generators will be sealed if found operating during the ban and environment compensation will be imposed on violators,” he said.

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