QUETTA – The Balochistan government has announced a series of austerity and fuel conservation measures, including market timings, aimed at reducing official and public-sector spending.
Under the notification, fuel allocations for government vehicles will be reduced by 50 percent for three months. The purchase of new government vehicles and official foreign trips have also been banned.
Government-hosted dinners, seminars and conferences will not be permitted, while public expenditure will be reduced by 5 percent, excluding salaries and pensions.
The government has also ordered implementation of the one-dish policy at wedding functions.
Market Timings
As part of the energy and fuel conservation measures, markets, bazaars and shopping malls will close at 9pm. Marriage halls will close at 10pm, while restaurants will operate until 11pm. Pharmacies, hospitals, petrol stations and dairy shops will remain exempt from the restrictions.
The austerity measures have been made effective immediately.
National Assembly, Senate Also Introduce Austerity Measures
Earlier, the National Assembly and Senate secretariats had also introduced fuel conservation and additional austerity measures.
According to their notification, half of the National Assembly employees will work from home, while Senate employees will have the work-from-home facility only on Fridays. Attendance at Senate Secretariat offices has been made mandatory from Monday to Thursday.
Employees working from home will not receive daily allowances or overtime payments.
The fuel allocation for official vehicles in both secretariats has been cut by 50 percent, while official events have been completely prohibited.
The purchase of new vehicles has also been banned at both the Senate and National Assembly secretariats. Their non-development budgets will be reduced by 5 percent, with efforts to lower expenditure on a monthly basis.
The notification further states that purchases of all types of durable goods, except IT-related items, have been prohibited. Official foreign trips will remain banned for three months, while hosting official dinners will also be prohibited, except for visits involving foreign delegations.
