Bhubaneswar, May 22: Amid rising concerns over the situation in West Asia and fuel consumption, the Odisha government has taken significant steps to reduce petrol and diesel usage. Chief Minister Mohan Chandra Majhi has issued an eight-point directive for all state government departments and offices.
Previously, Chief Minister Majhi had discussed fuel conservation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Following this, he reduced the number of vehicles in his official convoy and urged the public to save fuel.
On Thursday, the Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary to implement concrete measures to decrease petrol and diesel consumption in government operations.
The eight key directives released by the government include promoting virtual meetings, mandating electric vehicles in government offices, encouraging carpooling among senior officials, establishing new guidelines for vehicle usage, prioritizing public transport for official trips, planning for private electric vehicle usage, introducing electric bus services for government employees, and aiming for a 10% reduction in fuel consumption.
According to the directives, government meetings, review sessions, training programs, and workshops will primarily be conducted virtually. Only essential officials will be allowed to attend in person. Starting June 1, all new two-wheeler and four-wheeler vehicles purchased by government offices will be electric. Petrol or diesel vehicles will only be permitted under special circumstances.
Senior officials benefiting from government vehicle services have been instructed to adopt carpooling. The fuel allocation for such vehicles will also be halved. The finance department has been tasked with determining within 15 days which categories of officials will receive government vehicles for personal use. Officials and employees traveling long distances for government work have been advised to use buses and trains.
The finance department has also been asked to prepare guidelines for the use of personal electric vehicles by officials for government tasks. In areas with a high number of government employees, electric bus or mini-bus services will be initiated to facilitate daily commutes. All government offices have been instructed to reduce petrol and diesel consumption in official vehicles by at least 10% each month.
The Chief Minister has made it clear that these directives will be strictly enforced across the state secretariat, government departments, sub-divisional offices, tehsil offices, block offices, public enterprises, universities, and other government institutions.
–
Leave a Comment