Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's call for austerity measures amid the West Asia crisis, the Delhi government has now urged private firms to allow work from home for two days a week.The Delhi government has already announced a string of measures for government offices. ( HT Photo)The development comes days after Delhi government introduced 2-day work home home for government employees, while also calling for use of public commute and carpooling.Apart from this, private firms have also been advised to make changes to office timings and urge employees to opt for carpooling with colleagues, as part of fuel conservation measures, PTI news agency reported.“In order to contribute to national fuel conservation efforts, all employers of industrial establishments, factories, shops and commercial establishments in Delhi, including IT, IT Enabled Services (ITES), among others are strongly encouraged to implement a minimum of two days of work-from-home per week,” an advisory issued by Delhi's labour department said.Also Read | ‘Humanity facing many major challenges’: PM Modi calls for ‘swift change’ amid a ‘decade of disasters’However, it has provided an exemption to private entities involved in essential services. These include hospitals and other health establishments, electricity, water, sanitation and related municipal services.The labour department in its advisory further stated that in the backdrop of the present global situation, it was necessary to conserve fuel, including petrol, diesel and CNG, and ensure their optimal use.Push for public transport, DMRC to run additional trainsThe advisory stated that commuting to and from offices is one of the largest contributors of daily vehicular fuel consumption in Delhi, calling for the use of public transport. To this end, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is expected to run 24 additional train trips from from six additional trains every Monday starting May 18. These will also be introduced on toher days of the week as and when required, ANI news agency reported.It stated that with private firms adopting work from home measures, the usage of a large proportion of this fuel can be cut down.The advisory said that the operational feasibility of work from home had already been witnessed during COVID-19 and GRAP-related measures, PTI reported.The implementation of staggered office hours was also suggested, in order to reduce peak hour vehicular load on the roads. For this, the advisory recommends urging employees to use public transport, car-pooling, or non-motorised modes of commute. Apart from this, virtual instead of physical meetings, online sessions to reduce commute and adequate IT infrastructure support to enable seamless WFH operations were also part of the recommendations.Measures for government officesThe Delhi government has already announced a string of measures, including work-from-home for two days in government offices each week, staggered office hours and ban on official foreign travel for the next year.Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta launched the 90-day 'Mera Bharat, Mera Yogdan' fuel-saving campaign, notifying the use of public transport and two days work from home in government offices. Gupta had said that private companies would also be brought under the campaign, with the labour department monitoring implementation in the sector.Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, on May 10, urged citizens to cut down petrol and diesel consumption, avoid non-essential foreign travel, reduce gold purchases and adopt other fuel-conservation measures.