Passenger trains make way for coal to stop power crisis

The Centre has cancelled some passenger trains to allow for faster movement of coal carriages as the nation scrambles to replenish depleting inventories at power plants in a bid to avoid a full-blown power crisis.

A scorching summer is driving demand for coal, which helps generate about 70 per cent of the country’s electricity. Several parts of India are facing long hours of blackouts, while some industries are cutting output due to the fossil fuel’s shortage, threatening the economy’s revival from the pandemic-induced slump. The risk of a further spike in inflation is rising at a time when the government is struggling to rein in high energy prices fueled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.