MEERUT, May 14 -- Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal for fuel conservation, political leaders and public representatives in western Uttar Pradesh have begun opting for public and environment-friendly transport. Leaders in Meerut have started travelling in e-rickshaws, e-scooters and motorcycles while also reducing the use of official vehicles as part of an emerging energy-saving campaign. The trend was visible on Wednesday in Meerut, where MLC Dharmendra Bhardwaj arrived at a meeting in Vikas Bhavan in an e-rickshaw instead of his official vehicle. Accompanied by his gunner and personal assistant, Bhardwaj travelled around five kilometres from his residence in Defence Colony to the government office despite the scorching heat and humid weather conditions. Speaking after reaching the venue, Bhardwaj said he was following the appeal made by PM Modi. He said such initiatives would not only reduce fuel consumption and government spending but also create public awareness about responsible energy use. The move comes a day after chief minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to ministers and legislators to cut the official fleet of vehicles by 50% and use public transport at least once a week. In another instance from Meerut, BJP state trade wing president Vineet Sharda was seen riding an e-scooter through city roads. Sharda said he would now regularly use the scooter for public outreach programmes and local travel. Interestingly, the scooter belongs to his son, and he said he had decided to adopt it as his regular mode of transport. Minister of state for power and Meerut South MLA Somendra Tomar also joined the campaign by announcing a reduction in the number of vehicles operating in his fleet. In a post on X, Tomar said he had decided to limit the use of official vehicles according to necessity in line with the Prime Minister's call for energy conservation, fuel savings and environmental protection. He said unnecessary movement of vehicles would now be avoided and stressed that national interest must remain the top priority. Tomar added that every citizen should actively contribute towards environmental protection and the responsible use of natural resources. Minister of state for Jal Shakti and Hastinapur MLA Dinesh Khatik had earlier taken similar steps by returning escort vehicles assigned to him. He announced that he would now prefer travelling by motorcycle or train to save fuel and reduce government expenditure. Khatik also cut the security deployment at his residence by half, saying such measures would help conserve fuel while cutting unnecessary administrative costs....