Randhawa starts trial run of power plant at Bhogpur mill

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 10

Punjab Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on started the trial run of a 15-MW power plant at Bhogpur Sugar Mill by performing the first boiler firing ceremony.

The minister, who visited the 62-year-old Bhogpur Sugar Mill here, inspected the ongoing work of the expansion of this prestigious mill working at a capacity of 1,016 tons of cane crushing per day (TCD). He said the state government was spending Rs 108 crore on this ambitious project that would enhance the capacity of this plant to 3,000 TCD adding that the plant would be operational for the 2019-2020 crushing season.

Randhawa said besides expansion and modernization, a cogeneration plant had been set up which would produce 15 mega watt of power out of which 8.54 MW would be exported to PSPCL.

The minister said the mill would generate a revenue of Rs 25 crore every crushing season by exporting the power. He said mill catered to the needs of cane cultivators who produce sugarcane in 12,772 hectare land of the region. Randhawa said the mill was spread over 109 acres out of which the expansion work was going on 25 acres of land.

The Cooperation Minister said the agency entrusted with the work of expansion of this mill would oversee its operation and maintenance for one year. He said the state government was fully committed to commissioning this renovated plant in full capacity by February next year.

Randhawa asked the officials and representatives executing agency to come to Chandigarh on Monday to resolve the pending issues. The minister said no cooperative sugar mill in the state would be closed and rather every effort would be made to ensure their revival.

He said strengthening cooperative department was the need of the hour to bail out farmers facing an acute agrarian crisis. Randhawa said to facilitate the farmers, an online system would be introduced under which farmers coming for crushing would be issued e-slips.

Meanwhile, the minister also launched ‘Fateh Sugar’ product in various varieties during the visit. The minister was accompanied by former Punjab minister Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Tanda MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian, Sugarfed MD Devinder Singh, Joint Registerar, Co-operative Society, Bhupinder Singh Walia, Deputy Registrar Sukha Singh, Congress leaders Sukhwinder Singh Lalli, Satvir Singh Palli Jhikki, Ashwan Bhalla and others.