File photo. Rizwan Tabassum—AFP
Federal ministers on Tuesday announced that the federal cabinet has approved a conservation plan—to be implemented nationwide—under which markets will be shuttered at 8:30 p.m. and wedding halls at 10 p.m.
Explaining the measures after a meeting of the cabinet, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the plan aimed at changing the habits of citizens, with a potential to save up to Rs. 62 billion annually. To a question, he said President Arif Alvi supported the plan, adding that he had been requested to play a role in convincing the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab governments—led by the opposition PTI—to back it.
Emphasizing that the plan was conceived after taking onboard all stakeholders, including the provincial governments, businessmen and traders, he said it would be a “permanent” development and would prove beneficial for the country in the long-term. Asif also said that the cabinet would monitor the implementation of the plan and review and amend it as needed.
Highlighting the unanimity of the plan, Asif was flanked by Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman; Power Minister Khurrum Dastagir-Khan; and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb. He said the plan would not be limited to the public alone, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered relevant officials to ensure the usage of electricity by the federal government was decreased by 30 percent. In pursuance of this goal, he said, the federal cabinet had symbolically met without using any electricity.
In addition to reducing the business hours of markets, said Asif, factories producing fans that run on electricity would be shut down. “Inefficient fans use around 120-130 watts of electricity… fans are available that use 60-80 watts,” he said, adding that the government would impose a higher duty on the import of “inefficient” fans to decrease their use. All government institutions, he said, would install efficient devices to save electricity.
As part of this drive for efficiency, the defense minister said, the cabinet had approved a ban on the manufacture of incandescent bulbs from Feb. 1, 2023. This, he said, would help save Rs. 22 billion. He also said that the federal government had decided to only use alternate street lights, which would save Rs. 4 billion annually. Similarly, he said, the government was also devising a building code for the construction sector to reduce the maintenance costs of cement, iron and glass. “Similarly, we have also decided to make the use of conical geysers mandatory within a year,” he said, noting these use less gas and could save Rs. 92 billion annually.
To curtail fuel consumption, Asif said, e-bikes would be introduced nationwide. “We are slowly shifting to electric motorcycles,” he said, noting these would be “slightly more expensive” but the government would facilitate the public by financing the measure through dealers, as currently Pakistan was using oil worth $3 billion annually.
According to the minister, the cabinet has also formed a committee to submit a report on implementing work-from-home in offices. This process, he claimed, would be completed within 8 to 10 days.
The federal government announced its intent to implement an energy conservation plan last month, saying it envisaged all markets and restaurants to be shut down at 8 p.m. This plan has since been amended as a result of consultations with stakeholders and provinces.