Kamal Nath questions MP CM Chouhan regarding coal shortage; 'What arrangements made?'

The Congress party on Sunday stoked fears over the shortage of coal in India, claiming that the nation was at the cusp of a 'big power crisis'. Taking to Twitter, former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath hit out at the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh, and questioned him of his plans to handle the repercussions of coal crisis in the state. 

"The way the countrywide coal crisis is coming to the fore, due to which the production of electricity is continuously decreasing, the country is standing on the cusp of a big power crisis. Similarly, there is a huge coal crisis in Madhya Pradesh for some time now. Religious festivals have started, people are very worried about the coal crisis and electricity crisis," said Kamal Nath.

Firing four questions to the MP Government, Kamal Nath demanded that the BJP government clarify his doubts in the interest of the state and public.

"How much electricity is currently being produced from coal-based power plants and what is their capacity? How much total payment of coal companies is currently pending and how much has been paid by the government at present? What arrangements has the government made so far to deal with this crisis? The government should answer this in the interest of the state and in the public interest," he stated. 

Similarly, Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu also weighed in on the coal crisis, saying that the Punjab government must aggressively work on Solar PPAs, and roof-top solar connected to the Grid to 'prevent and prepare' for the crisis.

Centre hits back at Congress, calls fears 'misplaced'

Amid concerns of a possible disruption of power, Union Power Minister RK Singh addressed a detailed press conference where he assured that coal availability is sufficient to meet power plant demands. Calling the fears of a nation-wide power disruption 'unfounded', the Power Minister hit back at the Congress for 'running out of ideas' to oppose the Government. 

"Any fear of disruption in power supply is entirely misplaced. The coal stock at power plant end is about 72 Lakh tonnes, sufficient for 4 days requirement, and that the Coal India Limited (CIL) end is more than 400 Lakh tonnes, which is being supplied to the power plants," said RK Singh. 

The global supply chain of coal has been hit drastically by shipping delays, leading to delays in fuel, transport, and subsequent coal shortages in several nations such as India and China. A Core Management Team (CMT) has been initiated by the Ministry of Power and Central Government for managing the coal storage and its distribution.