HYDERABADBRSLP deputy floor leader and former minister T. Harish Rao on Thursday accused the Congress government of pushing Telangana into a severe power crisis due to what he described as a lack of planning and foresight. He urged the government to ensure an immediate supply of coal to thermal stations and warned that the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) would launch a Statewide agitation if the government failed to ensure continuous electricity supply to the agriculture sector.Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan, he alleged that unannounced power cuts were causing hardship to people across all sections of society.Mr. Rao alleged that the Congress government ignored the warnings of BRS despite being informed that thermal power stations had insufficient coal stocks. He said coal reserves at the Kothagudem, Kakatiya, Bhadradri and Yadadri thermal power stations were enough for only six to seven days.He further alleged that electricity generation had come to a halt in Units 1 and 4 of the Yadadri Thermal Power Station (YTPS) due to a shortage of coal, while generation at the Bhadradri Therman Power Station (BTPS) had been suspended because of maintenance-related issues.Questioning the government over the ongoing power cuts, he said the State’s peak demand was around 15,000 MW, but thermal plants with an installed capacity of 7,180 MW were generating only 3,190 MW, or about 44% of their capacity.The BRS leader also expressed concern over the State’s water availability, stating that reservoir storage stood at 351 TMC against a total capacity of 1,059 TMC, leaving limited scope for hydel power generation.Mr. Rao said Telangana has an installed power generation capacity of nearly 23,000 MW but questioned why only 3,190 MW was being generated. He also alleged that the government was purchasing around 80 million units of electricity from the power exchange at high prices, placing an unnecessary financial burden on consumers and industries.He further alleged irregularities in coal supply from Singareni Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL). Published - July 16, 2026 08:44 pm IST