India is witnessing an unprecedented heat wave across several states, which is likely to continue over the next few days, and the mercury surge has also led to an increase in the electricity demand, triggering a fresh crisis in the country. While some states are compelled to impose hours-long power cuts, a few have reached out to the central government with their concerns. A day after Delhi’s power minister Satyendar Jain held an emergency meeting over the issue, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday morning said: “The situation is very grave in the whole of India.” Ashok Gehlot, his Rajasthan counterpart, also stressed that “this is a national crisis”, while slamming the rival BJP in the state for protests outside electricity offices.
“There is a huge shortage of power in the country. So far we have managed it somehow in Delhi. The situation is very grave in the whole of India. Together we soon need to find a solution. Quick, concrete steps are required to tackle this problem,” Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.
In a statement, the Delhi government on Thursday said that essential services, including metro operations, may get affected due to the power disruptions. Temperatures in the national capital shot past the 45 degree Celsius-mark in some parts of the city.
Rajasthan is another state where summer unlocks the most difficult phase of the year. Amid the double whammy of power cuts and sweltering heat, Ashok Gehlot also made appeals in a series of tweets: “Due to rising heat in 16 states of the country, the demand for electricity has increased and coal is not being supplied accordingly, due to which power supply is not possible as per requirement,” he wrote in Hindi. According to news agency Reuters, the state has also been compelled to schedule power cuts in factories.
“This is a national crisis. I appeal to everyone to unite in this crisis and support the government in improving the situation. Turn off non-essential electrical appliances in your home or workplace. Set your priorities and use electricity as per your need,” he further urged.
The 70-year-old Congress leader further alleged that the workers of the state BJP were protesting at the electricity offices, “making it difficult to deal with the current challenge”. “I would like to ask him that it is the job of the central government to provide coal to the states. Will the directionless leadership of the state BJP ask the central government a question as to why it is not able to provide coal as per the demand, due to which there has been a power cut in 16 states?” he tweeted, slamming the rival party.
Gujarat, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh are also struggling with the power crisis.
In Bihar, the state government hoped to resolve the challenge in a day or two. “There is a shortage of around 1000 MW but this will be solved in a day or two. Talks also happened with the central government,” Bihar power minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav was quoted as saying by news agency.