Public Admin circular to save power and fuel hits snags

Despite a Government circular on changing working patterns to save power and fuel, state institutions are yet to put it into practice.

On Tuesday, the Public Administration Department issued a circular to state institutions, outlining measures to conserve electricity and fuel. They include a proposal to cut down the number of workdays.

Noting that public institutions have more than 75,000 vehicles in running condition, the circular points out that if one litre of fuel is saved from each vehicle a day, it will lead to a huge saving of 75,000 litres a day and about 27, 375,000 litres a year.

Asked why state institutions had not implemented the circular, Sri Lanka Government Officers’ Trade Union Association National Organiser B. A. P. Basnayake said there were difficulties in following the guidelines as most state institutions had to deploy vehicles to carry out essential services related to the COVID- 19 pandemic.

Mr. Basnayake claimed that cutting down the number of workdays a week also posed a problem as it could add to the stress on state officials who had to meet targets.

He also claimed most departmental circulars were not followed by public institutions.

The circular was issued as the country faces a fuel shortage caused by the lack of foreign exchange. As buses join day-long queues at fuel stations, public transport services remain disrupted with only a few buses on the roads.

The Railways Department said it could run the service without disruption, provided depleting fuel stocks were regularly replenished.

To minimise the adverse effects of the fuel crisis, the Central Bank proposed that people should be encouraged to use public transportation instead of their private vehicles.

The new guidelines, rather than providing relief, would exacerbate the situation, Ceylon Teachers’ Union General Secretary Joseph Stalin said, claiming that the present fuel crisis was the result of the authorities' failure to take right decisions at the right time.

"Reducing the workweek to four days is impractical, especially in the education sector. If adopted, it will have a negative impact on the educational system. The school system is on the verge of crumbling due to COVID- 19, and students and teachers are already having difficulty in completing the curriculum,” he said.

To find out whether the fuel shortage had affected policing, the Sunday Times spoke to Police Media Spokesman Nihal T al duwa. The Senior Superintendent said the Police would not lower their guard due to the fuel shortage but would rearrange the administration section based on the priorities.

The Health Sector will also not reduce working days as it is an essential service, Health Promotion Bureau Director Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawa said.