The Delhi government is buying electricity at higher rates to make sure that there is no power cut in the city, Power Minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday.
He claimed that neighbouring States that produce electricity are finding it difficult to supply the required power to the city due to a shortage of coal.
“All coal-reliant power plants in Delhi are non-functional. The Delhi government buys electricity from power plants located outside the city, which too run on coal. The BJP is spreading rumours on this. The Central government-run NTPC, the largest producer of electricity, has halved the power generation in its plants across the country for the last few days,” Mr. Jain said.
The Minister said that the Centre should clarify its stand on the issue. “On the one hand, the Central government says there is no shortage of coal and on the other, it says that the responsibility of coal will now be handled by the Union Minister. The Centre should make it clear whether there is a shortage of coal or not or it is being done intentionally,” Mr. Jain said.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on October 9 written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the coal shortage, which he alleged was continuing for the third consecutive month, affecting power generation from major plants supplying electricity to Delhi.
