Exclusive | Carpooling, foreign travel curbs: Delhi govt orders fuel savings amid West Asia crisis
Proposals include EV fleet transition, car pooling for officials and ‘No Car Day’ initiatives to curb fuel consumption. Orders are expected today.
Proposals such as minimising vehicle use by officers, promoting carpooling during inspections and accelerating electrification of departmental fleets are being examined. (Representational image/File) No official to go on foreign trips, whether official or personal; use of vehicles to be minimised; car pooling during inspections and office travel to be promoted; reliance on virtual meetings to be increased and a weekly ‘No Car Day’ — these are some of the measures that the Delhi government announced on Wednesday to reduce fuel consumption across departments, amid a broader push towards fuel conservation and electrification in the wake of the global energy disruption caused by West Asia crisis.
The measures also included promoting the use of public transport, accelerating electrification of government-owned vehicle fleets, and departments ensuring that electric vehicle charging infrastructure is set up at government offices to support the larger transition towards electric mobility.
According to the order, the directions have been issued in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal “to reduce the consumption of petroleum products and for promotion of sustainable practices in order to strengthen the spirit of self-reliance and energy security”.
In a statement on Wednesday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta urged Delhiites to make fuel conservation a people’s movement, noting that greater use of Metro and buses can help reduce congestion and pollution.
Maintaining that the measures align with the Centre’s push for efficiency and accountability and are being implemented “in full spirit” across departments, PWD Minister Parvesh Verma told The Indian Express, “Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji’s call is not just about reducing fuel consumption, it is about bringing discipline and responsibility into the system.”
“Till further orders, no officer will undertake foreign visits — whether official or personal,” he said, calling it a “necessary step towards accountability and prioritisation”.
“This is not about limiting work, it is about aligning our priorities with the needs of the country… And that is exactly the direction we are moving in,” Verma added.
The specific directions have been given to at least three departments, including the Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB), said officials.
They added that the DJB has been told to replace its self-owned fleet of nearly 200-250 tankers with electric tankers. Officials indicated that the move is in line with targets being monitored at the PMO level regarding electrification and fuel savings.
According to the order, the PWD has been asked to maximise the use of electric pumps and permanent pumping stations instead of diesel-operated tractor-mounted pumps, particularly during drainage and emergency operations. Diesel-based pumps may remain only as standby systems during power outages.
Further, for inspections and inaugurations, officers can travel together using electric vehicles/pooled vehicles/public transport. All PWD officials, wherever they are located, have been advised to use carpooling or public transport while commuting to office. Another measure mentioned in the order is a weekly ‘No Car Day’, as part of which officials are to use public transport while commuting to office.
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