Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a series of austerity measures on Wednesday to reduce fuel consumption and ease traffic congestion in the city.
These mandates signal a shift toward green governance in the capital, aligning city administration with a broader national push for fuel efficiency following an appeal from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Under the new rules, government employees must work from home two days per week [3]. Additionally, the administration has instituted a mandatory "Metro Monday," requiring all government staff to use the metro system every Monday [4]. To further limit emissions, the city will implement a weekly "No Vehicle Day," where private vehicles are prohibited for one day each week [5].
The measures also target the expenditures and resource use of high-ranking officials. Fuel allocations for official vehicles will be reduced by 20% [1]. Specifically, the monthly fuel quota for official vehicles will drop from a range of 200-250 liters to 160-200 liters [2].
In a move to limit government spending and carbon footprints, Rekha Gupta said there is a one-year ban on all foreign trips for ministers [6]. These combined initiatives aim to lower pollution levels and reduce the strain on Delhi's road infrastructure.
The austerity package focuses on reducing the reliance on internal combustion engines within the public sector. By combining remote work with mandatory public transit and strict fuel caps, the administration seeks to lead by example in curbing urban congestion.
“Government employees to work from home two days per week”
This policy shift represents an aggressive attempt by the Delhi government to decouple public administration from private vehicle dependency. By targeting the 'commuter culture' of government officials through mandatory transit and remote work, the city is attempting to create a scalable model for reducing urban smog and traffic gridlock that could eventually be encouraged in the private sector.
