Chandigarh, Sept. 7 -- The all-time low Plant Load Factor (PLF) of Punjab's state-owned thermal plants has not only caused widespread power cuts across the state but also sparked a war of words between the Centre and the state government.

The PLF for the Ropar Thermal Plant remained at 36.4% in August, while the Lehra Mohabbat Plant recorded a mere 28.7%, marking a significant low for its recent operations. This decline occurred despite the fact that both plants have above 100% stock of coal.

A day after Punjab accused the Centre of coal shortage, the Union government countered Punjab's accusations by listing "poor performance" of state-owned power plants.

On Saturday, Punjab power minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond attributed the state's ...