Sindh Announces Strict Austerity Measures to Tackle Energy Crisis

Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon chaired an important meeting of the Austerity Committee, which was attended by ministers Nasir Hussain Shah, Saeed Ghani, Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar, and Mukesh Kumar Chawla. The Sindh government has decided to implement stricter austerity measures to address energy challenges. Specifically, the government has decided to reduce the fuel allocation for government officials by 50 percent and has issued instructions to immediately ground 60 percent of government vehicles. Police mobiles, ambulances, fire brigades, and other essential service vehicles are exempt from this directive.

The committee also reached a decision to reduce the fuel consumption of municipal vehicles by 50 percent. The Secretary of General Administration (GA) has been authorized to ground vehicles and has been directed to submit daily reports. A regular pro forma will be used to track details of the grounded fleet, and the government may seize any vehicle found in violation of these instructions. A monitoring committee, comprising the Secretary of GA and the Secretary of Excise, has been established to oversee these measures and compile a comprehensive list of all grounded vehicles.

Furthermore, the committee is reviewing procedures for the investigation and recovery of project vehicles, with directions issued to obtain details on all such vehicles and recover them as soon as possible. Regarding administrative operations, government offices will remain open four days a week, with staff working from home on Fridays. Schools across the province will be closed from March 16 to March 31, although exams will proceed according to their original schedules. Emphasizing that these measures aim to reduce energy consumption without compromising public service, Sharjeel Inam Memon has directed all departments to ensure strict implementation.