ISLAMABAD – The Cabinet Division on Saturday widened the scope of its energy conservation drive to other utilities as well in a bid to make Islamabad a model for conserving electricity, water and gas.
In this regard, the Cabinet Secretary Nargis Sethi has started a series of review meetings with all the stakeholders including Chairman Capital Development Authority Syed Tahir Shahbaz to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the energy conservation drive.
The Cabinet Secretary has tasked the CDA, Islamabad Electric Supply Company, Islamabad Capital Territory Administration and Sui Northern Islamabad to jointly work for conservation of water, electricity and natural gas in the capital under the supervision of Cabinet Secretary who also hold charge of Secretary Water and Power.
Under the Slogan of the initiative “Pani, Bijli or Gas Bachao - apni zindagi asaan banao” (conserve water, electricity and gas - make your life easy) all these institutions would intensify their efforts to check its supply lines, effectively enforce bylaws against violators and sensitise the public of the utility of conservation.
Under the initiative, the Cabinet Division has planned various initiatives including ban on use of illuminations or decorative lights, regulation of billboards, rationalisation of lights in markets in consultation with market committee, review of building codes for energy conservation, discouraging the use of electric heaters at offices and homes and minimum use of gas heaters and geysers.
Similarly effective monitoring of leakages of water supply lines would be ensured to end wastage. School children, members of civil society, media and public servants would be involved to aware the residents of Islamabad about the initiative and secure their support.
The Cabinet Division would coordinate the efforts of all the institutions to prevent any duplication and ensure quick response for improvements in the conservative plan, suggestions and feedback by the pubic, civil society and media would be channelled via regular monitoring and consultations by the Cabinet Division.
The electricity, water and gas, conserved by implementing the initiative would be diverted to educational institutions, hospitals and need-based services of larger public interest so that student’s activities do not suffer, patient’s lives do not endanger due to want of electricity and winter does not bring sufferings for housewives due to unavailability of gas.
The initiative is designed on the basis of government’s decisions to present Islamabad as model city to be followed by other cities of the country. 
According to expert opinion and international best practices, energy conservation has proved a great tool of narrowing the demand and supply gap and leading to efficient load management.