Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 16 (ANI): The Governor of Tamil Nadu, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, on Saturday cut down the number of police security vehicles from ten to four days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushed for austerity to cope with the impact of the West Asian crisis, Lok Bhavan said in a statement.

He also urged the general public to reduce the use of petrol and opt for public transport.

'The number of police security vehicles provided to the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, has been reduced based on the instructions of the Governor himself,' it said.

The statement noted that 10 police security vehicles were being used during the Governor's official travels and while attending government and private events.

'Reduce the use of petrol and diesel; use public transport', it read out.

The number of police security vehicles provided to the Governor has been reduced to four, as per his instructions, it added.

Lok Bhavan Tamil Nadu earlier in a statement issued on X, said, 'The Governor emphasized the importance of responsible practices such as prioritizing work from home to the extent possible, reducing fuel consumption, avoiding non-essential foreign travel, using indigenous products, cutting down on cooking oil usage, moving towards natural farming, and refraining from unnecessary gold purchases'

On the other hand, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Friday criticised the recent increase in petroleum product prices by Union Government public sector oil companies, calling it 'unacceptable' and urging an immediate rollback.

Earlier, the Centre hiked prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 3 per litre as the Brent crude price hovers above USD 100 per barrel amid the West Asia crisis.

Reacting to the hike, the CM said, 'The Union Government Public Sector Oil Companies have increased the prices of petroleum products, especially petrol by Rs. 3 and diesel by Rs. 3 per litre. This is unacceptable. When the price of crude oil decreases in the international market, the petrol companies do not reduce the prices of petrol and diesel accordingly. Instead, those companies only take the profit.'

Vijay further noted financial strain on transport workers, stating, 'Those who take bank loans and operate vehicles for rent will be subjected to additional financial burden, and their economy will also be affected. Due to the increase in the price of petroleum products, there is a possibility of increasing the rent of rental vehicles. This will lead to an increase in the price of daily necessities and will also affect the purchasing power of the poor and simple people.'

Following the Rs 3 hike, petrol prices in New Delhi rose from Rs 94.77 to Rs 97.77 per litre, while diesel prices increased from Rs 87.67 to Rs 90.67 per litre.

The fuel price revision comes amid growing concerns over global energy supplies due to tensions in West Asia and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, a key maritime trade route for crude oil transportation.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, PM Modi urged citizens to prioritise work from home, cut fuel consumption, avoid foreign travel for a year, adopt Swadeshi products, reduce cooking oil use, shift to natural farming and curb gold purchases, while addressing a gathering.

To combat the volatility of fuel prices, PM Modi urged a shift in how India moves. He requested citizens to reduce petrol and diesel consumption by using the metro and public transport wherever available, opting for carpooling when private vehicles are necessary, preferring railway transport for the movement of goods, and increasing the use of electric vehicles wherever possible.

Meanwhile, Union Ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and JP Nadda have reduced the size of their convoys. Chief Ministers of several states, including Rekha Gupta, Yogi Adityanath, Mohan Yadav, Bhajanlal Sharma, Devendra Fadnavis and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, have also downsized their convoys. (ANI)