Rohtak, Nov. 11 -- In a step towards promoting clean and affordable fuel in rural Haryana, Rohtak district's first community biogas plant has been set up at a gaushala in Kharawar village of Rohtak with 80 households receiving gas connections in the first phase. Developed under the government's Swachh Bharat Mission initiative through the Zila Parishad, the plant is expected to provide cooking gas to economically weaker households at rates considerably lower than LPG. Under this project a pipeline network stretching around 2.5 km has been laid to supply biogas from the gaushala to households in the village. The project, initiated nearly three years ago, faced several hurdles and controversies but has now reached the implementation stage. Trial runs have also been conducted, with biogas being used to light cooking stoves in beneficiary households. According to Rohtak Zila Parishad chairperson Manju Hooda, the project will be made operational within one week as trials have already been completed according to safety norms. She said that if successful, this plant will be expanded according to the availability of cow-dung. She said that the plant had been developed at an estimated cost of around Rs.67 lakh. According to the officials, the plant has been designed to produce around 400 cubic metres of gas daily and requires approximately 10,000 kg (10 tonnes) of solid feedstock every day....