Mumbai, May 18 -- Following Prime Minister Narednra Modi's appeal to citizens for austerity in light of the ongoing war in west Asia, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has asked all its employees, contractual staff, project consultants and personnel at worksites to follow a 15-point circular aimed at conserving fuel and curbing electricity consumption. The circular, issued on Saturday by Deputy Metropolitan Commissioner Ajinkya Padvel with the approval of Metropolitan Commissioner Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, delineates a host of austerity measures such as taking public transport to work once a week and carpooling on other days, opening up windows for better ventilation, and switching off ACs in empty cabins. It will come into effect on Monday and apply to around 1,300 employees of the MMRDA, besides its contractual staff, project consultants and other personnel. According to the circular, which HT has accessed, "Officers should travel together in the same vehicle while coming to and going from the office as well as for coordination meetings between departments. Carpooling should be encouraged and all employees should try to observe at least one day every month as 'Public Transport Day'." The circular states that officers should not operate ACs in empty cabins, meeting rooms or after office hours. They must save energy by keeping doors and windows closed when ACs are on; while leaving for lunch, they must turn off ACs and computers, as well as avoid unnecessary electricity consumption after office hours. MMRDA sources said that the staff have been asked to skip frequent site visits and focus on virtual coordination meetings. They have also been asked to travel only when strictly essential, and department heads have been asked to enforce strict carpooling protocols. Inside the office, employees have been told to prioritise natural light and ventilation to save electricity as far as possible. "Officers and employees have been asked to avoid use of elevators to reach the nearest floor and take the stairs whenever possible. When leaving the office, they must ensure that lights, fans, computers, printers, air conditioners, chargers, and other electrical appliances are turned off, else necessary action could be initiated," a senior official said, requesting anonymity. The planning authority is also phasing out paper consumption aggressively. Large printed folders traditionally prepared for high-level briefings have been replaced by digital presentations, and directions have been issued to move internal approvals, drafts, and inter-departmental memos exclusively through digital channels, with essential physical printing limited to double-sided sheets, sources said....