NEW DELHI: Amid the power crisis in the country, several states including the capital Delhi have expressed their concern over the possible shortage of coal in power plants that supply electricity to the country.

As per the reports, the states are struggling to meet the huge demand amid low production at power plants. From Jammu and Kashmir to Andhra Pradesh, consumers are facing power cuts ranging from two hours to eight hours. The total power shortage in the country has reached 623 million units. This figure is more than the total power shortage in March.

At the heart of this crisis is the shortage of coal. Coal produces 70 percent of the electricity in the country. The government is claiming that there is enough coal available to meet the demand, but coal reserves in power plants are at their lowest in nine years. In fact, 70 percent of the electricity produced in the country is from coal. However, due to the acute shortage of coal at this time, the general public is facing power crisis.

The opposition has fiercely attacked the Center regarding the shortage of coal and the power crisis. Power cut in UP has got political color. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav had attended an Iftar program in Lucknow. During this, he alleged that maximum power is being cut where the voters of his party live.

Earlier, Power cut is emerging as the most talked-about issue on Punjabi social media, with people expressing their dismay through jokes and memes. The most popular of which is the AAP meme with the tagline 'Ek chance AAP ko nahi, nahi din nahi raat ko power hai'. Apart from this, people are also sharing old comedy video clips of Pakistani Punjab so that the government here can be targeted. An old video clip of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann as a comedian is being shared widely by the people.

At one time the tagline 'Kejriwal-Bhagwant Mann' started trending on Facebook. Navjot Sidhu, former president of Punjab Congress has also shared this point. Sidhu tweeted, "Massive power cut in Punjab, less than two hours electricity to farmers, PSPCL's latest circular for employees."

Many Punjabi FB users have mentioned "Parivartan" and "Revolution" in their messages. Sarabjit Singh Ghuman posted, "Long power cuts will help people to get out of their phones, reconnect with their families and revive the old legacy of using mobile phones."

While Akhilesh Yadav said that there is complete truth in what Omar Abdullah said. In Uttar Pradesh, in those areas where SP voters live, there is a massive power cut. After Akhilesh's statement, UP Power Minister AK Sharma has admitted that there is a shortage of electricity, but he did not speak on how much cut is being done in which particular area.

Earlier, former Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah has also questioned the power cut on Ramzan. "I wonder why there is electricity during the rest of the day and night but not during Sehri and Iftar," he said. You wake up to eat sehri, there is no electricity and the same happens during iftar. There is no electricity during the Taraweeh prayers and when the prayers are over, the electricity is restored.