Federal Government Proposes Huge Reduction in Fuel Quota of Top Officials

The federal government is considering reducing the fuel quota for top government officials, Maryam Aurangzeb told the media on Tuesday.

The proposal is a part of the government’s energy conservation strategy, which recommends a reduction of 33 percent on the government officials’ fuel quota. Other measures include:

• A five-day work week for government officials.
• Option of a single-day work from home to save fuel.
• Switching off alternate street or public lights.
• Early closure of marketplaces.
• Thorough and mandatory bi-annual vehicle tune-up.
• Training farmers to maintain their work vehicles properly and regularly.
• Sensitization of masses to instill an obligation to conserve energy.

Last week, Sindh, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Punjab governments also announced reductions in the government official’s fuel quota by up to 40 percent. Senior officials stated that the decision intends to facilitate the masses because overburdening the provincial treasury means putting an additional financial burden on the public.

The development came immediately after the public’s call for protest against back-to-back fuel price hikes that pushed the prices beyond Rs. 200 within two weeks.

Pakistan is going through severe energy and economic crisis currently, pushing the government to take drastic actions to address the problem.