Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis arrived on a motorcycle at Vidhan Bhavan on Thursday, May 14, to attend the swearing-in of new members of the Legislative Council.
The move comes as part of measures following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to reduce fuel consumption.
In a video now viral on the internet, Chief Minister Fadnavis is seen arriving at Vidhan Bhavan in south Mumbai on a motorbike from his ‘Varsha’ residence, with BJP leader and minister Ashish Shelar accompanying him.
In a similar fuel-saving move, state minister Nitesh Rane decided to go to ‘Mantralaya’ (state secretariat) to attend a cabinet meeting.
On May 13, CM Fadnavis announced a series of austerity measures, including halving the number of vehicles in the motorcades of his cabinet colleagues and canceling foreign trips of ministers and officials.
The BJP-led government’s move was in response to Prime Minister Modi’s call to conserve fuel and foreign exchange in view of the ongoing conflict in West Asia that has disrupted global energy supplies. India relies heavily on West Asia for oil and gas imports.
During visits to exit stations, the number of vehicles in ministerial convoys should not exceed the prescribed limit and the police commissioner or superintendent of police will be responsible for ensuring compliance, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The government will conduct a strict check on all the vehicles allocated by the various ministries.
The government will conduct a strict check on all the vehicles allocated by the various ministries.
