Conservation of electricity is the new mantra at Writers? Buildings. A Telegraph picture

Conserving power is the new mantra in the corridors of power. The state public works department (PWD) on Tuesday, in a leaflet, reminded all Writers? Buildings employees of an urgent task before leaving office ? switching off lights, fans and air-conditioners.

With annual power bills touching an astronomical Rs 10 crore in a clutch of state offices, the government has taken a dim view of employees leaving the office lights on.

The fight against flagrant methods involves extending the appeal to employees in all state government offices ? Writers?, Camac Street, Ganesh Chandra Avenue, Salt Lake, CIT Building and more. ?At least 10 per cent of the cost of bills can be brought down in this manner,? observed PWD minister Amar Choudhury.

Target number one is, of course, Writers? Buildings where 8,000 employees attend office every day and the monthly electricity bill is a staggering Rs 10-15 lakh. Tuesday saw the ?power bill? being pasted in all strategic parts of the seat of power, from lifts to department entrances.

?The idea is to catch the attention of employees, so that they get into the habit of switching off lights, fans and AC machines before leaving office,? said Choudhury.

Over the past few years, the electricity bill has been ballooning to 30-40 per cent above budgetary provisions. As a result, the government has been struggling to clear its dues with the CESC and the WBSEB. ?We are yet to pay around Rs 2 crore to them,? admitted a senior official.

If the monthly bill is Rs 13 lakh at the New Secretariat building, Rs 8 lakh in the Salt Lake office buildings, Rs 3 lakh in the CIT building and Rs 1 lakh in the Ganesh Chandra Avenue offices, the annual bill at Delhi?s Banga Bhavan is Rs 90 lakh.

In another move to tackle the power bill blues, the government will be urging other state departments to share the electricity bills of buildings maintained by the PWD.

Plans are also afoot to introduce power auditing in a bid to tabulate power consumption in state government buildings and check wastage.