The Maharashtra government has spent more than Rs 330 crore on purchasing electricity from the open market to bridge the demand-supply gap caused by coal shortage.
Energy minister Nitin Raut on Tuesday said the state is facing a shortfall of 3,500-4,000MW of electricity, and blamed the mismanagement and a lack of planning on the part of central Psu Coal India Ltd for it.
At present, the state needs 17,500-18,000MW of electricity, and with the soaring October heat, the requirement may go up to 20,000MW. Officials said state-owned power Plants have maximum two days stock and its likely that government may have to go in for load-shedding in some areas if supply doesnt stabilise.