BJP office bearers turn to buses and carpooling to save fuel

Nagpur: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal to conserve fuel and rely more on public transport, BJP office-bearers in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have begun opting for buses and carpooling.On Tuesday, standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare travelled to the NMC headquarters by Aapli Bus and e-rickshaw. First-time BJP corporator Yogesh Pachpore accompanied her."If we expect citizens to use buses and public transport, public representatives should also make an effort to do the same whenever feasible," Wakhare told TOI.However, her official vehicle was seen moving around the NMC headquarters during the day, prompting discussion among corporators and officials.Education panel chairperson Santosh Laddha chose carpooling while inspecting five civic schools across the city. Instead of deploying separate vehicles, Laddha directed all accompanying officials, including deputy engineers and assistant engineers, to travel together in a single vehicle.She said avoiding multiple vehicles for the same visit was a simple yet effective way to reduce fuel consumption. "Fuel can be saved through small measures like carpooling," she said.Laddha, however, said regular use of public transport from her residence to the civic headquarters was impractical because there is no direct bus connectivity to the NMC building from her area. "I will continue trying to save fuel through measures such as public transport and shared travel wherever possible," she added.Senior BJP corporator and ruling party leader Narendra Borkar said he was not using the official vehicle allotted to him and preferred travelling in his private vehicle instead. According to Borkar, public representatives should consciously minimise fuel consumption and encourage greater use of public transport.Fuel conservation has now emerged as a key talking point within the NMC, which spends nearly Rs45 lakh every month from taxpayers' money on fuel for vehicles used by officers and office-bearers. However, many residents remain sceptical about how long the shift towards public transport will last.