Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar said on Sunday that he had warned the government of possible coal shortage in August, but the State did not act on it.
“I had written to the government, warning it about the shortage of coal required to produce electricity. It was important to stack coal by taking immediate action. The warning was ignored, and now except for Mumbai, the State is facing load-shedding up to eight hours,” Mr. Pawar said during a party meeting.
He said the situation was getting bad in rural areas. “We had a good monsoon this year; the wells are full. But without electricity supply, the farmers are unable to water their crop,” he said.
Mr. Pawar on Sunday alleged that the “graph of farmer suicides has gone up” in the BJP’s rule. “During UPA rule, when farmer suicides were on the rise, we analysed the situation with help from experts and took immediate measures. We did not ask farmers to fill forms like today’s government. We lowered the interest rate, announced ₹70,000 crore as a loan waiver and ensured price to the produce,” he said.
“The graph which had come down has now gone up. It is sad to see farmers being forced to fill forms, where a single mistake could land them in jail,” he said.
