The federal government approved on Tuesday the energy conservation plan that will enforce the closure of markets at 8:30pm and wedding halls at 10pm.
Flanked by ministers Sherry Rehman, Khurrum Dastgir and Marriyum Aurangzeb, the defence minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed to decrease the electricity consumption of all public departments by 30 per cent.
Mr Asif said the federal cabinet meeting in a symbolic action was also held without the use of any electricity. He hoped that the measures would Rs62 billion of the country, facing financiah crunches amid depleting foreign exchange reserves.
The government also decided to impose ban on manufaturing of incandescent bulbs from Feb 1, 2023, he said, adding that additional taxes would be imposed to discourge their import.
The minister went on to say that all government buildings and offices, including courts, would be shifted to efficient energy under the conversation plan.
Mr Asif also announced the production of inefficient electric would be halted by July 1 as they counsum extra power.
“Inefficient fans use around 120-130 watts of electricity. Across the globe, fans are available that use 60-80 watts,” he said, adding that the import duty on “inefficient” fans would also be hiked.
Khawaja Asif said that the government is also bringing a building code for the construction sector as the maintenance cost of cement, iron and glass is very high.
The minister also announced that e-bikes will be introduced countrywide.
“We are slowly shifting to electric bikes. People will be facilitated by financing via dealers to shift to these facilities,” said the minister. He added that Pakistan is using oil worth $3 billion annually.
The minister also announced that the cabinet has directed the formation of a committee to submit a report on implementing work from home in offices.
“Similarly, we have also decided to make the use of conical geysers mandatory within a year. These geysers use less gas and this way we will be able to save Rs92 billion.”
