Bhubaneswar: With escalating global tensions in West Asia disrupting fuel supplies and driving up concerns over petrol and diesel availability, the Odisha government is expected to announce a series of austerity and fuel-saving measures on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters following the all-secretary meeting, Chief Secretary Anu Garg indicated that several important decisions are likely in view of the prevailing situation. “The Chief Minister has already reduced the use of his official cavalcade by half, several other officials have also adopted similar measures. We are likely to make some more decisions which will be communicated to the media,” she said.

Sources indicated that restrictions may be imposed on the use of government vehicles as part of the proposed austerity measures.

This follows reports of long queues at petrol pumps, “no stock” boards at several outlets, and localised shortages across the state, particularly in districts like Keonjhar, Bhadrak, Balangir, Jajpur, Rourkela, and Paradip. While the state government has clarified there is no overall shortage and attributes the rush to panic buying, market analysts warn of potential supply pressures in the coming days due to rising diesel demand and global disruptions.

PM’s forex-saving push

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a rare public appeal for fuel austerity due to soaring energy prices stemming from the West Asia crisis, urging citizens to curb fuel consumption, use public transit, wider adoption of work-from-home, and restraint in purchases of imported commodities like gold.