BHUBANESWAR: With the state government adopting austerity measures after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s exhortation, the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department has issued an advisory asking all its officers and employees to use official vehicles carefully and avoid unnecessary fuel consumption.
The H&UD has become the first government department to issue such order. It has stated that the initiative has been taken following the prime minister’s call for sustainable resource management and fuel conservation in the wake of the ongoing global economic uncertainty and energy-related concerns.
H&UD additional chief secretary Usha Padhee said officers using official vehicles for meetings, inspections, field visits and other official work have been asked to adopt vehicle pooling or ride-sharing arrangements wherever possible. Senior officers attending the same meeting or event have been asked to coordinate shared transport.
“Such collective transport arrangements will help significantly reduce avoidable fuel expenditure, strengthen administrative efficiency and contribute meaningfully towards national energy conservation efforts,” Padhee stated.
The department has also advised officials not to use government vehicles for lunch outings or other short-distance personal trips during office hours. Instead, employees have been encouraged to use shared transport or environment-friendly alternatives for shorter distances.
The advisory has been issued to officials and staff in the state secretariat as well as agencies and organisations functioning under the department, including EIC (PH), directorate of municipal administration, directorate of town planning, valuation organisation, municipal corporations and other civic bodies, development authorities, OSSSB, UIDF, OSHB, Cuttack Urban Transport Corporation, BMRCL, WATCO, OUHM, ORIET and ORERA.
All offices have been instructed to implement the fuel conservation measures sincerely. The department has also urged officers and employees to maintain administrative discipline and contribute to addressing current economic and energy-related challenges.
