Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain on Saturday said the prevailing coal shortage "appears to be a man-made crisis similar to the oxygen crisis". He said there is a coal shortage even when production plants aren't running at full capacity and appealed to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government look into the matter.
"There's a coal shortage even when production plants aren't running at full capacity. Appeal to Centre look into the matter. We've a Power Purchase Agreement where they're giving us half of the electricity. We've come to point of rationing," said Satyendar Jain.
"There is a possibility of politics as it appears to be a man-made crisis similar to the oxygen crisis. We have 3.5 times more production capacity than what we require & still, we aren't able to produce power," he added.
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Earlier in the day, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote a letter to PM Modi and said the national capital could face a power crisis and that his government is taking adequate steps to avoid such a situation. He asked the PM for his intervention in making adequate arrangements of coal and gas to generation plants supplying electricity to the city.
"Delhi could face a power crisis. I am personally keeping a close watch over the situation. We are trying our best to avoid it. In the meanwhile, I wrote a letter to Hon'ble PM seeking his personal intervention," Kejriwal tweeted.
In his letter to Modi, the Delhi CM noted that the city was facing coal shortage since August.
"I draw your attention to the prevailing coal shortage situation that is continuing since August/September for the third month in a row," the letter stated. "It has affected the power generation from the major central generating plants supplying power to Delhi," it added.
Kejriwal requested the Prime Minister's intervention for adequate coal to be diverted from other plants to plants like Dadri-II and Jhajjar TPS, which are supplying to Delhi. He also requested gas allocations to Bawana, Pragati -I and GTPS supplying power to the city.
