Amid fuel concerns, Odisha govt to buy only EVs from June 1

Amid concerns over fuel supply due to the ongoing West Asia situation, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday issued an 8-point directive to govt departments to curb petrol and diesel consumption. The state made it mandatory that all new govt vehicle purchases from June 1 will be electric vehicles (EVs) only.

As per the directive, official meetings, reviews and training sessions will be conducted in virtual mode unless physical presence is unavoidable. In such cases, only essential personnel will attend in person while others join virtually. From June 1, all new two-wheelers and four-wheelers procured for government use must be EVs.

Purchase of petrol or diesel vehicles will be allowed only under special circumstances. The same rule will apply to hired vehicles for govt offices, the chief minister’s office said.

Senior officers allotted official vehicles have been asked to carpool, with fuel allocation for such vehicles to be reduced by half. The finance department will issue guidelines within 15 days specifying which categories of officers are eligible to use govt vehicles.

For long-distance travel on official duty, officers and staff have been advised to use buses or trains. The finance department will also frame guidelines for use of privately owned electric vehicles for official purposes. The govt will arrange electric buses or minibuses for employees travelling from areas with a high concentration of govt staff.

All departments have been directed to ensure at least a 10% reduction in monthly fuel consumption for government vehicles.