Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday took a dig at the Centre over the power crisis triggered by a shortage of coal and exacerbated by ferocious heatwaves. The former union home and finance minister tweeted, "Abundant coal, large rail network, unutilised capacity in thermal plants. Yet, there is an acute power shortage Modi government cannot be blamed for. It is because of 60 years of Congress rule!"
Also Read| Coal shortage, heatwave: States face worst power crisis in 6 years
"Government has found the perfect solution: cancel passenger trains and run coal rakes! Modi hai, mumkin hai," Chidambaram said - a sarcastic swipe at the government's move yesterday to suspend over 40 passenger trains in favour of those carrying coal.
The Congress has blamed the power crisis - which follows a similar problem late last year - on the Centre's misgovernance and mismanagement.
"This power crisis is artificial and due to the poor governance and poor management in coal distribution. This is purely misgovernance," spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh said Friday, claiming the Centre is not providing logistical support for coal distribution.
{{/usCountry}}"This power crisis is artificial and due to the poor governance and poor management in coal distribution. This is purely misgovernance," spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh said Friday, claiming the Centre is not providing logistical support for coal distribution.
{{/usCountry}}Several states are facing a power crisis - believed to be the worst in years - as electricity demand skyrockets because of a heatwave in parts of the country. A report by news agency PTI said the problem has been accentuated by a steep rise in prices of imported coal due to the war in Ukraine and some plants not operating to their full capacity.
Also Read| Heat, electricity usage shatter April records
On Friday, Indian Railways cancelled the movement of 657 train trips to speed up the transfer of coal rakes to power plants. "The cancellation of trains is an interim measure. We are reviewing the situation on daily basis. Train cancellation has been done in non-priority sectors and less busy routes," an official told PTI.
Meanwhile, Union power minister RK Singh has told states to step up coal imports for the next three years. "The states were asked to continue importing because the private sector will take till at least early 2025 to produce significant output and there is also a consistent train shortage to move domestic coal around," a power ministry official told Reuters on Wednesday.