PM Modi’s appeal triggers nationwide fuel crackdown; Maharashtra CM, Deputy CM take major steps

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos appeal in Hyderabad urging citizens and leaders to conserve fuel and petroleum resources amid the ongoing global energy crisis several political leaders across the country have begun taking concrete steps to reduce fuel consumption and promote energy efficiencyMaharashtra govt orders cancellation of foreign toursIn Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday directed that all foreign tours of ministers and bureaucrats be cancelledThe order also applies to previously approved and scheduled overseas visits as part of a broader push towards austerity and resource conservation in governanceEknath Shinde Uday Samant switch to electric vehiclesDeputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has also joined the initiative by beginning to use an electric vehicle for official travel In a similar move Minister Uday Samant started commuting in an EV car from Wednesday and reached the Sahyadri Guest House within 10 minutes for an official meetingDelhi govt calls for public participation in energy savingIn the national capital Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta called upon citizens to make energy conservation a peoplersquos movement In a post on X she said the Delhi government has decided to reduce the use of official vehicles promote carpooling and encourage public transport across departments ministers MLAs and officials narendramodi hellipmdash Rekha Gupta gupta_rekha May 12 2026She further emphasised that energy conservation is directly linked to national interest urging Delhi residents to actively participate in reducing fuel consumption and adopting sustainable travel practicesRajnath Singh reduces convoy size in DelhiUnion Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also responded to the appeal by reducing the number of vehicles in his official convoy during travel in Delhi reflecting the Centrersquos push for reduced fuel usageDelhi Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh left his residence with a reduced number of vehicles in his convoy adhering to Prime Minister Narendra Modis appeal to reduce fuel consumption pictwittercom6qZAa8B59Gmdash IANS ians_india May 13 2026Uttar Pradesh announces workfromhome push and fleet cutsIn Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a series of measures aimed at cutting fuel consumption including promoting a workfromhome culture WFH WFH 50hellipmdash CM Office GoUP CMOfficeUP May 12 2026He also suggested that institutions with large staff strength adopt two days of WFH per week and encouraged virtual meetings for government departmentsThe state government has also directed a 50 per cent reduction in official vehicle fleets used by ministers and senior officialsPublic representatives have been advised to use public transport once a week while promoting cycling carpooling and electric vehiclesPM Modi reduces convoy sizeAt the national level Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has reportedly reduced his convoy size by nearly 50 per cent reinforcing the message of austerity and responsible energy useRamdas Athawale travels by Mumbai MetroMeanwhile Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday travelled from Vidhan Bhavan to BKC via Mumbai Metro citing the Prime Ministerrsquos appeal to conserve fuel and promote public transportHe said India must focus on reducing fuel consumption and encouraged citizens to adopt metro travel carpooling and other sustainable commuting optionsNationwide push for fuel conservation gains momentumThe coordinated response from political leadership across states highlights a growing national push towards fuel conservation reduced carbon footprint and increased reliance on public and electric transport systemsAaditya Thackeray questions EV push calls for stronger public transport and clean energy support policyShiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray in a post on X criticised the governmentrsquos approach to electric mobility and energy policy saying Maharashtrarsquos 2021 EV policy had mandated that ministers government departments and urban local bodies procure or rent only electric vehicles from 2022 onwardsOur 2021 EV policy had mandated that all ministers all government departments and all urban local bodies that would need new cars from 2022 onwards would only rent purchase electric vehiclesBut when the government changed this aspect of the policy was dumpedMore so ithellipmdash Aaditya Thackeray AUThackeray May 13 2026He said the provision was later ldquodumpedrdquo after the change in government adding that key supporting measures such as affordable electricity for EVs and a shift towards clean energy sources had also not been effectively implementedThackeray further remarked that while some ministers and MLAs are now adopting electric vehicles it appears to be done ldquoovernight for photo opsrdquo questioning the broader inclusivity and sustainability of the initiativeHe also raised concerns about affordability and accessibility asking whether public transport fares such as BEST bus tickets and metro fares would be reduced or subsidised to support wider adoption of green mobility among citizensBorivali MLA Sanjay Upadhyay travels to Chiplun via Tejas Express to save fuelBJP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay in a post on X said that he and five others have travelled to Chiplun via the Tejas Express instead of using two private cars responding to Prime Minister Narendra Modirsquos appeal for fuel conservation narendramodi hellip pictwittercombbuPjlHFPnmdash Sanjay Upadhyay SanjayRupadhyay May 13 2026He said the decision helped save both time and fuel adding that such small steps can contribute to national welfareUpadhyay further stated that he plans to increase the use of public transport such as local trains metro railways and buses and reduce dependency on private vehicles wherever possibleHe also said he intends to travel by train twice a week as part of his commitment to supporting the initiativeHe urged citizens to opt for public transport whenever possible in order to contribute to fuel savings and strengthen the countryrsquos transport system