NEW DELHI, 10 October 2021, (TON): The chief minister of New Delhi warned of a looming power crisis in the Indian capital of 20 million people due to coal shortages, which have already triggered electricity cuts in some eastern and northern states.

Arvind Kejriwal “said he had urged the federal government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allocate more coal and gas to power plants supplying the capital, as earlier in the week many of them had just enough coal stocks to last one day.”

"Delhi could face a power crisis," Kejriwal said in a tweet. "I am personally keeping a close watch over the situation."

Read France says to work with India to promote multilateral order.

Prices of power-generation fuels are surging globally with industrial growth pushing up electricity demand, leading to a tightening of coal and liquefied natural gas supplies.

In India, over half of 135 coal-fired power plants, which supply around 70% of the country's electricity, have fuel stocks to last less than three days, Reuters reported on Friday.

In a letter to Modi shared on social media, Kejriwal said coal shortages had continued for three consecutive months, putting pressure on gas-fired power stations that also did not have adequate fuel.