No power cuts, but Karnataka needs more coal: CM Bommai

Bommai chaired a meeting with senior officials to take stock of the power situation in the state

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday allayed fears of a power cut, but conceded that the state desperately needs additional coal supplies to stay clear of drastic measures.

"There won't be any power cuts. We will make sure of that," Bommai told reporters after chairing a meeting with senior officials to take stock of the power situation in the state.

Power plants across India are reportedly grappling with a coal shortage, triggering fears of blackouts in the festival season. Besides Karnataka, states such as Delhi and Tamil Nadu have flagged the issue.

"We're getting ten rakes (of coal) now. We have 98,863 MT in stock. If we get three more rakes, we will be comfortable," Bommai said.

The state has been assured of two more rakes from the Singareni coal mine in Telangana. "There's some payment that's due. In a day or two, we will make the payment and then I will talk to the Telangana Chief Minister and the Union Coal Minister for two additional rakes. This is good quality coal that can be easily transported since it's closer," Bommai said.

Also read: Power Ministry asks utilities to import 10% of their coal needs, warns states not to sell power on exchanges

One rake amounts to around 4,000 tonnes.

"In the last two days, coal production and rake movement have increased," Bommai said, rejecting allegations made by Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah that the coal shortage was artificial. "His allegations are baseless," he said.

Bommai also reviewed the financial situation of Escoms. "There's a proposal to convert loans given to the Escoms into equity. We will act quickly on this," he said. "Also, the revenue collected by Escoms should be used to pay for coal, while capital investment should be done separately," he said.

Rain damage

Bommai said 21 people were killed due to heavy rains in October alone. "It's been raining consistently. We've seen 30-50% excess rainfall in all districts, except 2-3 of them," he said, after chairing a meeting on disaster management.

"From June till now, crop loss has been reported on 4.71 lakh hectares. As many as 1.17 lakh farmers have been paid Rs 105 crore in compensation so far. Deputy commissioners have Rs 738 crore with them for this purpose," he said.

Households affected by heavy rainfall will receive an ex-gratia of Rs 10,000, he said. "Some 2,000 homes have suffered partial damage. We will conduct an assessment and they will be compensated," he said.

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