Islamabad: In a bid to conserve energy and limit the burden on the import bill, the federal government on Tuesday announced that markets would be closed at 8 pm.
Announcing the energy conservation plan of the government, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that wedding halls will be closed at 10 pm.
The defence minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had held several meetings on the issue and a final decision would be taken by Thursday.
Giving details about the plan, he said that estimates had shown that if 20% of the government workforce worked from home on a rotation basis, Rs56 billion could be saved.
“It is mainly about the nation limiting its lifestyle,” he said.
He said that the federal government was recommending switching street lights on alternately, which would save about Rs4 billion.
“The government is also introducing e-bikes which will phase out the bikes that use petrol. The government is negotiating with the companies to phase out the bikes that use petrol and modify the existing bikes,” said Asif.
The minister said that the government is reaching out to all four provinces to inform them about the policy and take them on board. He said that it is a national program and will be launched with consensus.
