Assuring that Diwali will not be dark, the government today said the present grim power situation in the country will improve in the next 4-5 days.
"Diwali would be celebrated with light... The power situation would improve in the next 4-5 days," Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said.
The power situation in the country is grim as many plants of the country's largest power generator NTPC are running below capacity levels due to paucity of coal. Many states, including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal, have seen power cuts for long hours in the past few days.
A slew of factors, including floods in Orissa and Telangana agitation, have hit coal supplies to power units.
At present, over 40 thermal power stations have coal stocks sufficient to meet demand for less than a week. As many as 29 projects have less than four days of coal reserves.
The Power Ministry is taking various steps to resolve the crisis in the country and is in discussions with the Ministries of Coal and Railways.
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The Coal Ministry said it has stepped up dry fuel supply to power companies. "The coal dispatch has now increased to 169 rakes... Of which 148 rakes have been supplied to the power sector," a ministry release said.
The ministry has also resorted to diverting surplus coal from some projects to fuel-deficient plants.
"We have transferred some coal from one unit or plant to another, wherever required," Shinde added.
"There are problems of supply of coal and we are in touch with the Coal Ministry," Shinde said, adding, "rains in Orissa have flooded the mines, thereby coal could not be supplied to the power plants".
"Now, the situation is improving, to get quick rakes we have asked the Railways," he said.