Coal Shortage May Affect Power Supply To Metro Trains, Hospitals, Says Delhi Govt

Coal crisis: Due to disruption in power supply from Dadri and Unchahar power stations, there may be a problem in 24-hour power supply to many essential institutions including Delhi Metro and Hospital.

A bucket-truck picks up coal at a mine in India (Source: Getty)

New Delhi: Amid a deepening crisis in coal shortage, the Delhi government on Thursday expressed concern over this acute shortage of coal and due to it the severe power crisis in Delhi can deepen.

Disruption in power supply from Dadri and Unchahar power stations can lead to problems with the 24-hour power supply to many essential institutions including Delhi Metro and Hospital. 

"Due to disruption of power supply from Dadri-II and Unchahar power stations, there may be a problem in 24-hours power supply to many essential institutions, including Delhi Metro and Delhi government hospitals," a government statement read.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government wrote a letter to the central government requesting it to intervene to provide adequate coal, said Power Minister Satyendar Jain.

According to the daily coal report of the National Power Portal, the Delhi government said that there is an acute shortage of coal at many power stations of NTPC. Giving information in this regard, the Delhi Government said that one day's stock of coal is left in Dadri-2 Power Plant. Unchahar Power Plant has two days of stock left. There are three and a half days of stock left in Kahalgaon. Farakka has 5 days of stock left and Jhajjar (Aravalli) has 7-8 days of stock left.

"These power stations play an important role in preventing blackouts in some parts of Delhi and are also essential to ensure the continuous supply of electricity to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, hospitals and people in the upcoming summer season," the minister said.

It is worth noting that while there is a crisis of coal necessary for power supply, on the other hand, many states including Delhi are facing severe heatwave conditions. 

The Meteorological Department said that the mercury can go up to 46 degrees in Delhi. Amidst the rapidly rising temperature, the Meteorological Department has also issued an alert regarding the heat in Delhi.

Now in the midst of such severe heat, if the power supply is disrupted in Delhi, then it will increase the problems of the people. Schools, hospitals, and the Delhi Metro, which is a crucial mode of transport in Delhi, will also be affected by this.

Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain held an emergency meeting at the Delhi Secretariat on Thursday. Along with this, he also wrote a letter to the Central Government, requesting the intervention of the Center to provide enough coal for the power plants supplying electricity to the capital Delhi.

"The Delhi government has made an appeal to the Centre to intervene and provide for an adequate supply of coal in the power plants that supply electricity to Delhi in case there is a shortage, to ensure that people in Delhi receive an unrestricted 24 hour supply of electricity," Jain added.

Satyendar Jain said that at present there is an acute shortage of coal in various thermal stations supplying electricity. 

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)'s Dadri and Jhajjar (Aravalli), both power plants were established primarily to meet the power requirement in Delhi. But there is very little stock of coal left in these power plants.

(With PTI inputs)