DC advises farmers not to believe rumors linking CBG plants to cancer

Ludhiana, October 28, 2024: Deputy Commissioner Jitendra Jorwal on Saturday urged farmers not to believe in rumors about CBG plants, stating that these plants use paddy straw thus provide a much-needed solution to stubble burning and chemicals produced during the biogas generation are not carcinogenic and do not contaminate the environment soil and water. 

Jorwal clarified that some farmers are being made to believe about the potential negative effects of CBG plants, and emphasized that a committee of 14 experts from institutions including the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), IIT Ropar and Delhi, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), and Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) Ludhiana, concluded that CBG plants do not have any link to cancer.

The expert committee consists of Dr. Manoj Shrivastav, Principal Scientist ICAR, Dr. Sachin Kumar, NIBE Kapurthala, Dr. Tarak Mondal, Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineer, IIT Ropar, M.P. Singh, Director PEDA, Kulbir Singh Sandhu, Joint Director, Amandeep Singh Sidhu, Department of Organic Farming, PAU, Vijay Kumar SE, PPCB, Dr. Pardeep Kumar Mishra СРСВ, Dr. Kunal Jain, Department of Oncology, DMCH Ludhiana, Dr. G.S. Brar, Department of Oncology, DMCH Ludhiana, Dr. Sarit Sharma, Department of Community Medicine, DMCH Ludhiana, Dr. Shalini, Department of Pharmacology, DMCH Ludhiana, Dr. Virendra Kumar Vijay, IREDA Professor, IIT Delhi and Dr. Sarabjit Sooch, Department of Bio Energy, PAU.

The Deputy Commissioner also highlighted that CBG plants are green-category industries and they will have to adhere to all environmental regulations set up by the government and other bodies. 

Additionally, Jorwal also encouraged farmers to sell paddy straw by making bales to CBG plants instead of burning it, as this could provide significant economic opportunities and create local employment in their respective villages itself.

The Deputy Commissioner also stated that many meetings had been held with the Kisan Sangharsh Committee by the district administration where experts, including scientists, oncologists, and environmentalists, had addressed most of the concerns and clarified all doubts raised by farmers unions.