Bathinda, July 19 -- After a two-year delay, the Bathinda-based Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) bio-refinery-a first-of-its-kind project in India to tackle paddy stubble burning in Punjab-is set to be operational by October. Officials familiar with the progress said 97% of the project work was complete, and the remaining work will be finished by the time rice harvesting began in November. Bathinda deputy commissioner Rajesh Dhiman said on Thursday that the plant will procure 50,000 metric tonnes of rice biomass during the current kharif harvest season. "We have included the bio-refinery in this season's rice stubble management plan after the project authorities assured the administration they would collect biomass. The administration has assisted the bio-refinery management in securing space to store paddy residue and ensuring a smooth water supply," said the DC. Developed at Nasibpura village, about 20 km from the Bathinda district headquarters, the Rs.1,400 crore bio-refinery is designed to utilise paddy straw for ethanol production to blend with petrol under the central government's programme. Paddy residue management remains a burning issue every year. A sizeable section of farmers resorts to burning stubble of non-basmati varieties, triggering air pollution every October and November. The project was proposed to be functional in 2024, but due to incomplete civil structure and other technical issues, it missed the deadline. Officials said the HPCL plant started sourcing paddy stubble in 2023 and in the next two kharif seasons, it collected approximately 1.25 lakh tonnes of residue, but it remained a non-starter. "The HPCL project aims to be a model initiative to promote ex-situ management of rice straw. The designed production capacity of this 2G ethanol plant was pegged at 100 kilo litres (KL) of ethanol per day. For this purpose, 570 MT of paddy straw will be required daily, or two lakh tonnes annually, when the plant operates at full capacity," said an official associated with the project. An official with HPCL, who wished not to be named, said the district administration provided 51 acres of panchayat land for the project, whereas the public sector undertaking bought one acre....