Odisha H&UD Department Advises Vehicle Pooling To Conserve Fuel

Bhubaneswar: In view of the prevailing global energy crisis and evolving international situation, the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department of the Odisha government has issued an advisory promoting prudent and conscious use of resources, particularly official vehicles and fuel.

The initiative has been undertaken under the guidance of Additional Chief Secretary Usha Padhee following the Prime Minister’s call for sustainable resource management and energy conservation.

As part of the cost-saving and efficiency-enhancing measures, the department has advised officers using official vehicles for meetings, inspections, field visits and other official engagements to adopt vehicle pooling or ride-sharing practices wherever feasible.

According to the advisory, collective transport arrangements will help reduce unnecessary fuel expenditure, improve administrative efficiency and contribute towards national energy conservation efforts. Senior officers attending meetings or events have been asked to coordinate the pooling mechanism.

The department has also urged officers and employees to avoid using official vehicles for lunch outings or other non-essential short-distance personal trips during office hours. Instead, officials have been encouraged to opt for shared transport and environment-friendly alternatives for shorter distances.

The advisory has been extended to all agencies and organisations functioning under the H&UD Department, including EIC (PH), Directorate of Municipal Administration, Directorate of Town Planning, Valuation Organisation, Municipal Corporations, Development Authorities, SUDs, OSSSB, UIDF, OSHB, Cuttack Urban Transport Corporation, BMRCL, WATCO, OUHM, OUA, ORIET and ORERA.

All these organisations have been instructed to implement similar fuel conservation and resource optimisation measures in their respective offices with sincerity and commitment.

Through the initiative, Usha Padhee has called upon all officers and employees to demonstrate administrative discipline and actively contribute towards addressing the ongoing global economic and energy-related challenges.