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December 18th, 2009 Punjab targets to harness 3000 MW power from 300 bio-mass plants LALWA(PATIALA): The Punjab government is targeting to produce 3000 MW power by harnessing 20 lac tones agricultural residue being produced in the state every year. Talking to the media man informally at the residence of Chairman Zila Parishad Mohinder Singh Lalwa, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister said that besides solving the chronic problem of pollution due to burning of paddy residue and tackling decreasing productivity of the land due to heat generated by this fire, power generation from biomass was the green source of power that would earn carbon credit worth crores to the state. He said that 28 bio mass would start producing 280 MW Power by next December where as another 28 plants in the year 2011 would generate combined power from biomass to the extent of 700 MW. Focusing on strengthening the economy of rural areas, Sukhbir Badal said that next year SAD-BJP government would distribute 1 lac gobar gas cooking tables to BPL and EWS families in the villages to harness cooking gas from cow dung. Blaming the Congress Party for the ills of power scenario, Badal said that failure of Congress Party to generate a single unit of power during their five years rule had deteriorated the demand-supply equation in this sector. He said that Punjab was producing 5000 MW power against the demand of 9000 MW with the average shortage of 4000 MW Power. He said that with the completion of 4 Thermal plant and harnessing of energy from renewable sources, Punjab was all set to become first power surplus state of India. He congratulated the people of Punjab for the state becoming first state in the country having first commercial solar plant.He said that Punjab was planning to tap 100 MW power from solar sector. Speaking about the progress made by the SAD-BJP government in infrastructure sector Sukhbir Badal said that besides fourlanning of Chandigarh-Patiala-Bathinda, Chandigarh-Ludhiana-Ferozepur national highways, work has already started on six lanning Ambala-Jalandhar national highway. He said that 24 railway over bridges are set to be completed within three months whereas with the starting of flights from Ludhiana,Mohali, Bathinda, Amritsar airports, the state has emerged as most air connected state of India. Charging Congress for running away from the battlefield, he said that instead of raising public interest issues in the assembly, Congress fled the scene, and created a drama to grab space on first page in their intra party politics for Presidentship. He challenged Congress to contest SGPC elections instead of propping up their front man Sarna and face forfeiture of their security. SAD General Secretary Prof. Prem Singh Chandumajra, Chairman BC Commission Punjab Prof. Kirpal Singh Badungar, Youth Development Board Chairman Gurpreet Singh Raju Khanna, SAD Rural Patiala President Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpur, Former Minister Hamir Singh Ghagga, DIG S.K. Asthana, Deputy Commissioner Dipinder Singh, SSP Patiala Ranbir Singh Khatra were also present on the occasion.