India must step up coal imports to avoid a repeat of last year's crisis

Unreliable domestic dispatches prompt customers to either pay more for imports or stop operations

The year has hardly dawned but tussles over supply and transport of coal have alre­ady erupted, perhaps pointing to another volatile year of fuel supp­lies to generators from state-run Coal India (CIL), and a feeling of deja vu for generators — which are still nursing their way out of low stocks. Clashes between generators and CIL and the Indian Railways doesn’t bode well for an economy looking to grow at over 8 per cent because coal-fired generation is the key to lubricating India’s growth for the next few years.

In short, India must step up coal imports and fix unreliable logistics