Passenger trains cancelled to ferry coal; Cong slams 'artificial' crisis

Passenger trains cancelled across India - bid to allow faster movement of coal carriages. 70% of India's power demand met by coal-fired plants, coal demand driven by rising temperatures. 650+ trains will reportedly be cancelled as authorities rush to replenish depleting stock at power plants. Heatwave, accompanied by power plants' depleting coal stock, has triggered blackouts across India. On Thursday, India met a record peak power demand of 204.653GW — the highest ever met (overall). The Power Ministry has projected the demand to further peak at about 215GW in the coming months.