Centre assures Punjab of regular coal supply for paddy season: Minister

The Centre has assured Punjab of timely and regular coal supplies for the forthcoming paddy sowing season, power minister Harbhajan Singh said on Friday.

The assurance was made during a review meeting co-chaired by Union Minister of Power and Non-Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh and Union Minister of Coal Pralhad Joshi with states, including Punjab, earlier in the day through video-conferencing, a Punjab government release said.

Underlining Punjab's requirement for regular coal supplies during the meeting, Harbhajan Singh said he had requested the Centre for ensuring timely and efficient dispatches in view of the coming paddy season.

The Punjab minister, while raising the state's concerns on account of the prevailing coal situation across the country, urged the Centre to also devise alternate mechanisms to tackle electricity shortage on a long-term basis.

“Our farmers will be sowing paddy beginning June 14," he said.

“We need 20 rakes of coal daily to meet peak sowing demand,” he said.