In order to get coal to power stations to respond to the energy crisis, the Indian government has commandeered hundreds of train lines. This emergency measure affects millions of workers across the country.
In India, some railway lines will remain closed until May 8, others until the end of the month. In order to meet the peak in electricity demand, the government has requisitioned 650 train lines to transport coal to the country’s power stations. Coal provides 75% of the country’s energy.
Unusually hot March and April have increased energy demand. In the Indian megalopolis of New Delhi, where the temperature reached 43.5°C on Friday April 29, the authorities estimated yesterday that there were still “ less than a day of coal in stock at many power stations. Coal reserves at Indian power plants have indeed shrunk by nearly 17% since early April, falling to barely a third of required levels.
Whole country affected
Millions of travelers, especially in the coal-producing states of the east and center of the country, therefore find themselves stranded, without knowing when they will be able to take the train, reports our correspondent in New Delhi, Antoine Guinard. This emergency measure is disrupting the whole country, especially seasonal agricultural workers who travel to their home areas at this time of year to work in the fields. Conversely, many daily wage earners who travel to the city to earn a living could be affected by this interruption in rail traffic.
With 13,000 lines and over 60,000 kilometers of track, India’s rail network is the largest in the world. It is vital, because it is also the least expensive means of transport for the two-thirds of the population who live on less than two dollars a day.