SARGODHA: Commissioner Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti distributed 300 biogas plants among citizens through a draw here on Saturday.
A ceremony was held in his office in this regard, attended by Deputy Commissioner Sargodha Capt (retd) Shoaib Ali, Director Development Bilal Hassan, Director Agriculture Shahid Hussain, Director Health Dr. Rana Muhammad Riaz, Deputy Director Technical Rana Shahid Imran and other officers.
Deputy Commissioner Khushab Zeeshan Shabbir Rana, Deputy Commissioner Mianwali Sajjad Ahmed Khan, and Deputy Commissioner Bhakkar Dr. Noor Muhammad Awan participated via video link along with their subordinates.
Commissioner Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti and Deputy Commissioner Sargodha Captain (Retd) Shoaib Ali, along with other officers and subordinates, drew the names of 300 lucky individuals through the draw.
Deputy Director Technical Rana Shahid Imran said that the Punjab government had received a total of 1,067 applications from citizens for the quota of 300 biogas plants allocated for Sargodha divisi
on, out of which 334 were rejected for not meeting the rules and regulations, and 733 applications were approved. Three hundred bio-plants would be installed free of cost, he added.
He said that for the quota of 174 for the district of Sargodha, 474 applications were received, out of which 50 were rejected. For the quota of 56 for Khushab, 251 applications were received, out of which 115 were rejected.
For the quota of 49 for the district of Mianwali, 265 applications were received, out of which 144 were rejected, and for the quota of 21 for the district of Bhakkar, 77 applications were received, out of which 25 were rejected.
The Deputy Director Technical said that people of rural areas, where the gas facility was not available, were asked to apply through newspaper advertisements.
He said that the plant requires two to twelve and a half acres of land, a household of six people, and eight livestock while the total cost of the plant imported from China was approximately Rs425,000, which would be fully fun
ded by the Punjab government.
”The plant will meet the needs for 20 years and provide gas for cooking. This eco-friendly initiative will save wood and also provide fertiliser, he added.
Commissioner Muhammad Ajmal Bhatti called the project a revolutionary step for people of Sargodha division.