New Delhi: Blaming the central government for the ongoing power crisis in Jharkhand, Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday said that if the government had paid them the due that they had asked for this situation wouldn't have arisen.
"Had Govt of India paid us back, we would've made the purchase at Rs 50 per unit & supplied it to the people...We had written to Govt of India for repayment of over Rs 1,30,000 crores of our dues. This due pertains to coal, revenue resources of our mining areas etc," Soren was quoted by ANI on its official Twitter handle.
Highlighting the current power crisis, CM Soren said, "Find out what the situation is in the current power crisis & how much one owes. If you want, I can send you the details over WhatsApp as to how much did the Govt of India pay us back out of the dues we asked back."
As per the central government, the rise in energy consumption in March 2022 was over 8.9 per cent, and it is expected to reach around 215-220 GW in May-June.
The increase in energy consumption in March of this year was roughly 8.9 per cent.
Furthermore, demand is predicted to reach around 215-220 GW in the months of May and June.
Low stocks of coal, the fossil fuel that generates 70% of India's energy, are at the core of the crisis.
While the government claims there is enough coal to fulfil demand, the restricted availability of railway rakes to carry coal has resulted in coal stockpiles being at their lowest pre-summer levels in at least nine years.
Meanwhile, RK Singh, Union Minister for Power, met with Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday to explore steps to improve the efficiency of coal delivery to power plants.
Indian Railways has also increased coal transportation, resulting in a 32% increase in coal freight loading between September 2021 and March 2022.
(With ANI Inputs)