he austerity measures announced recently by the federal government to save energy and fuel include slashing fuel quotas for government employees by 40 percent. This measure has put several thousand employees of the Islamabad Capital Territory in jeopardy amidst increasing fuel prices. They have to commute from different zones and end up spending good money on travel.

“It is a strange situation for us and the policy of the government is very confusing, as it directly affects the efficiency of government offices,” says Imran Ahmed, a government employee who commutes daily from Rawat by car.

“On one hand, the government announces this measure to save fuel amid increasing prices. However, while it cuts down on government spending, there is an increased financial burden on their employees who will pay for fuel from their own pockets,” he says.

More importantly, Islamabad lacks an efficient local transport system. There are only a few routes where public transport is available. Most citizens have to rely on other means of getting around.

“In the absence of an efficient transport system it will be very hard for government workers to reach offices on time if they don’t use their vehicles and depend on local transport,” says Khalid Mehmood. He is a federal government employee who commutes from Ali Pur Farash on a daily basis.

“On our route there is no public transport and if I use my vehicle I will be under financial strain due to the slashing of fuel quotas. I have to fill up the tank from my own pocket and there will be no relief,” says Mehmood. He suggests that if the government wants to slash fuel allowances, it should increase salaries to compensate for that.

“On our route there is no public transport and if I use my vehicle I will be under financial strain due to the slashing of fuel quotas. I have to fill up the tank from my own pocket and there will be no relief.”

He laments that such policies are made without proper deliberation with little regard for real world consequences. While the government will get some praise for saving fuel, the impact on its employees has not been considered.

“The government does not allow people to work from home even for half the week because the system needs to be operated in person through signatures rather than online,” says Mehmood.

Among the austerity measures announced by the government but yet to be implemented, a committee is to be formed to look into designating Friday as ‘work-from-home’ day.

Marriyum Aurangzeb, the federal minister for information and broadcasting, has told the media that they have reinstated Saturday as a holiday. The power ministry has recommended making Friday a work-from-home day. According to the power ministry the current demand for electricity is around 28,400 megawatts and there is a shortage of 4,600 MW amidst an extraordinary heat wave.

“If people are being asked to make sacrifices and go through hardships then so should the cabinet. The change has started from within the cabinet to reduce the burden on the public,” she says.

There will be more clarity about the policy of slashing fuel quota in the coming days. However, this has been green lit by the federal cabinet.

Many government employees have urged the government to first make a proper commuting mechanism and public transport system before making such policies.

With the ongoing energy and fuel crisis, Sindh and KP governments have also announced fuel quota cuts for government employees and cabinet members.

The author is a staff reporter. He can be reached at vaqargillani@gmail.com