As the country's power situation remains critical, Coal India Ltd has put a temporary halt on supplies to non-power users, Reuters reported on October 14 citing a company official.
"It is a temporary prioritisation of supplies to power plants till stabilisation in stocks is restored," the source, familiar with Coal India's plan, was quoted as saying.
No immediate official comment was available from the government-owned entity.
Also Read | Coal supplies shortfall alone didn’t create the power crisis
Earlier in the day, CNBC TV 18 reported that Coal India has asked subsidiaries to refrain from conducting e-auction of coal for non-power use. The move is aimed at shoring up supplies for power plants, the report suggested.
If Coal India units need to liquidate slow-moving stock, they need to justify such an auction, the news channel said.
On October 12, South Eastern Coalfields (SECL) was asked to stop supply to non-power plants.
For the next two weeks or so, non-power supplies of coal will be curtailed, but not suspended, CNBC-TV18 reported.
Also read | Coal power generation capacity under outage reduces to 6 GW
Many states have raised concerns about a blackout due to a shortage of coal. Coal India accounts for over 80 percent of the total domestic coal output.
Coal Minister Pralhad Joshi on October 13 inspected some of the mines of Coal India and directed officials to remove constraints and work towards increasing coal dispatch to thermal power plants.
"Visited the railway siding at the Dipka coal mine in Korba, Chhattisgarh. Inspected coal stock at the siding yard and interacted with siding in-charge and other officials," the minister said in a tweet.
With agency inputs
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