The government has changed work hours for all government and autonomous offices in Bangladesh. The changed office timing is 9 am to 4 pm, which will be effective from November 15 next. The decision came at the regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her office here. Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting at the secretariat. Read: Govt likely to reduce office hour or introduce virtual office: State Minister However, the Supreme Court and Bangladesh Bank will fix their respective office hours, he said. On August 22, Bangladesh government rescheduled office timing, from 8am to 3pm, for all government and autonomous offices and from 9am to 4pm for all banks to save electricity amid the energy crisis.

The government on Monday rearranged the office timing from 8:00am to 3:00pm for all the government and autonomous offices and from 9:00am to 4:00pm for all banks in a bid to save electricity amid short supply. The decision came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who joined it through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganobhaban. Other cabinet members attended the meeting from the conference room of the Cabinet Division in Bangladesh Secretariat. “The new office timing would be effective from Wednesday next,” said Cabinet Secretariat Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters after the meeting. Besides, there would be two weekly holidays in the educational institutions, he said, adding that the education ministry will now issue a circular in this regard. Read: Govt likely to reduce office hour or introduce virtual office: State Minister In the meeting, the Cabinet asked the power, energy and mineral resources ministry to ensure the uninterrupted electricity supply in the rural areas from midnight to dawn for the next 10-15 days so that the irrigation is not hampered. The Cabinet directed the government offices to remove curtains from there to get natural lights as well as to use air coolers as little as possible in order to reduce the use of electricity, said Anwarul Islam. In the meeting, the governor of Bangladesh Bank declared the new timing for the banks, he said. The decisions (new office timing and two weekly holidays in educational institutions) will save electricity and ease traffic congestion, said the top bureaucrat.

A decision will be taken soon about reducing office hours or introducing virtual office to save electricity, said State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Monday. Also read: 2-hour area-based load shedding across country from Tuesday “Government is mulling reducing office hour and introducing work from home in the backdrop of power crisis. The decision will be finalised within a week. We’ll take decision considering the public sufferings,” he told reporters at the Secretariat. A discussion is going on about it and suggestions came about reducing office hours from 9 am to 3 pm or 4 pm, he said adding “But the decision has not been finalised yet.” Also read: PM seeks people’s support to cut power subsidy amid hard times