Fuel for thought: NCR officials switch to ‘austerity’ gear

Ghaziabad: Senior officials in Ghaziabad and Noida began rolling out fuel conservation measures on the ground on Friday, after petrol and diesel prices were hiked sharply across the country following a spike in global crude oil prices.

Ghaziabad district magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mander rode a motorcycle to the collectorate on Friday instead of using his official vehicle and urged government employees to switch to public transport, carpooling, bicycles, or two-wheelers for commuting. “I have also decided to carpool or bikepool with other officials to reach office from now on. I will not use any escort vehicle for field visits unless there is a law and order situation. Virtual meetings have been mandated for all officials in the district administration as well,” Mander told TOI.

At the collectorate, Mander held discussions with staff on practical steps to reduce unnecessary vehicle use, better coordinate travel plans, and adopt fuel-saving practices in routine work.

Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) vice-chairperson Nand Kishor Kalal also chose to carpool and asked officials to adopt shared commuting, though he stopped short of issuing a formal directive. “Enforcement teams have been asked to visit sites through carpooling,” Kalal said, adding the practice would continue as long as the state govt maintained its intent.

On Thursday, the GDA board met at its Ghaziabad office rather than at the divisional commissioner’s office in Meerut. Meerut divisional commissioner Bhanu Chandra Goswami travelled to Ghaziabad for the meeting instead. “Since the meeting would have required the entire GDA administration to travel to Meerut in multiple vehicles, Goswami chose to come here as part of the collective endeavour to save fuel,” Kalal said.

At Noida Authority, CEO Krishna Karunesh directed all departments to cut daily fuel consumption of light and heavy vehicles and machinery by 20%.

The measures follow an appeal by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for citizens to make responsible choices, including conserving fuel.

Asked whether the administration would direct schools to hold online classes or ask the public to work from home, Mander said the decision rested with the state. “Currently, there is no such order for the public. The directives for virtual meetings have only been issued for administrative officials so far,” he said.

Petrol and diesel prices were revised upward on Friday after global crude oil prices surged on the back of the Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz crisis. In New Delhi, petrol now costs Rs 97.77 per litre following a hike of Rs 3, while diesel is priced at Rs 90.67 per litre. CNG prices in Delhi-NCR have also risen by Rs 2 to Rs 79.09 per kg.