Moily to travel by public transport every Wednesday

After coming up with the proposal for a fuel conservation drive from October 1, Petroleum Minister M Veerappa Moily wants to practise what he preaches.

Moily on Friday said that he would travel by bus every Wednesday starting October 9 to save fuel and public money. 

“I have told chief ministers, central ministers and PSU heads to declare one day of the week as ‘bus day’ and encourage their staff to utilise only public transport for their daily commute. I will also take the Metro train or bus to work every Wednesday starting from October 9,” he said.

A circular is also being issued to officers in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas as well as 14 public sector firms under the ministry such as ONGC and IOC to encourage use of public transport every Wednesday. 

“It is a voluntary act. I cannot punish anyone for not taking the public transport but I want everyone from the highest ranking officers to the lowest, to use public transport every Wednesday,” he asserted.

Moily believes his fuel conservation drive will cut India’s oil import bill by $5 billion.

Moily said he has sent similar request to other central ministries but is yet to get their response. The Petroleum Ministry’s fuel conservation drive from October 1 is to cost Rs 52 crore. The drive will involve direct interaction with consumers to encourage them to adopt conservation measures.

Smartphones and new media tools will also be used to create awareness among people to reduce consumption of transport fuel and save the scarce dollar as India imports close to 80 per cent of its fuel requirement, the single biggest item in India’s import basket.

LPG Clinics, Kisan Melas, driver training programmes, street plays and marathons will also be held to drive home the message of fuel conservation.

Petrol prices may be cut soon: Moily

After seven rounds of increase in prices, which has made petrol dearer by Rs 10.80 since June, Moily on Thursday hinted that there might be a cut in costs in the coming days. The next revision in petrol prices is due at the end of this month.