And is there any sentiment that this is caused by climate change, and coal phase out should be accelerated?

I get the immediate need for electricity, but talk about increasing coal stocks sounds weird nonetheless in light of what the goals are now in Western countries.

I don't think there's any confusion here that human activities are impacting the climate, even in the political strata. So policy wise, carbon emissions targets are...whatever they are.

But if talk of an "accelerated coal phase out" were to come up, it will face some pushback and phasing-out pace will only be in line with development and growth targets. I wouldn't be surprised if politicians point to emissions by developed nations over the years and term India as a victim of it.

Consumers would happily switch to EVs that are priced right. That shift may occur fairly quickly. The grid going hybrid is a work in progress. Coal is now showing how "elastic" it can be to meet demand spikes like these, so it may stick around longer.

Western efforts to avert climate change won’t succeed, certainly not in time to avoid the consequences of these heat waves, and India can’t afford to spend time or money on optical measures. Renewables are being phased in as they are cost effective, but India needs to invest in air conditioning now instead of uncertain mitigation efforts in the future.

At least among those who're aware of these things, I do believe that sentiment prevails, though it sucks that nuclear which is likely a good options is opposed.

India has done more than its share to meet its commitments.

The rest of the world, of course, is full of pompous hypocrites who say one thing to arm-twist nations like India, while doing exactly the opposite at home (see, climate-change, Russian-oil etc.). Little wonder there is little trust of the West in the global south (except in "elite" circles).