National Challenge: The chief justice’s energy-saving plan

LAHORE: In a circular issued to subordinate courts on May 31, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry said that he was issuing power-saving measures because every citizen, in an individual or official capacity, had a duty to help tackle Pakistan’s energy crisis.

“The moment the judges leave for their retiring rooms, it shall be the responsibility of the staff concerned to switch off all unnecessary lights and air conditioners. Every officer/official of the branches and courts, whenever he leaves office, shall personally switch off all unnecessary electric lights and air conditioners. It will also be the duty of every official at offices to turn off unnecessary lights and air conditioners if the offices are not in use at that particular time,” the chief justice said.

He also instructed the district and sessions judge (establishment) and the LHC’s member, inspection team, to conduct surprise inspections to ensure the courts are implementing his orders. He sought a report from the accounts branch at the end of June to report how much electricity billing at the city’s courts and related offices had fallen after the issue of the circular.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 7^th, 2011.