KOLKATA: Power demand in India has shot up to 1.45 lakh MW in the past few days from 1.2 lakh MW due to increased demand from the farm sector in the northern and northwestern parts of the country, leading to a rise in peak power shortfall even as there is adequate thermal generation capacity. Most spare capacity lies with the independent power producers who supply power either through the exchanges or on ad hoc basis to certain regions when there is increased demand. However, since boilers at thermal power plants need about 24 hours to start up, producers wait to see whether the increase in demand is sustained.