Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday once again opted for public transport, travelling from Mumbai to Shirdi aboard the Vande Bharat Express as part of the state government’s ongoing campaign promoting austerity and fuel conservation amid rising fuel prices across the country.
The Chief Minister was seen arriving at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus under security arrangements before boarding the high-speed train headed to Sainagar Shirdi. The move comes at a time when Maharashtra has been pushing symbolic measures encouraging responsible fuel consumption following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for reducing unnecessary expenditure and conserving resources.
The Mumbai–Shirdi Vande Bharat Express covers the nearly 343-kilometre route in a little over five hours and has emerged as one of the state’s fastest rail connections. Officials said the Chief Minister’s decision to travel by train was aimed at reinforcing the government’s message of adopting cost-effective and fuel-efficient travel methods.
The journey adds to a series of recent public appearances by Fadnavis focused on austerity. Earlier this month, he travelled from Pune to Bengaluru on a commercial IndiGo flight in economy class instead of using a government aircraft. Before that, he had also travelled by motorcycle from his official residence in Malabar Hill to Vidhan Bhavan in Mumbai as part of a fuel-saving awareness initiative.
The Maharashtra government has linked these symbolic gestures to broader cost-cutting measures already initiated within the administration. Officials have indicated that steps such as reducing convoy sizes, limiting unnecessary official travel and cutting down large government events are being implemented to promote financial discipline during a period of rising global crude oil prices and increasing inflationary pressure.
Fadnavis had earlier defended such public outreach exercises, saying leadership-driven examples help spread awareness more effectively among citizens. Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar had also participated in similar campaigns earlier by using electric vehicles for official travel within Mumbai.
The renewed focus on austerity comes amid repeated fuel price hikes this month, which have increased transportation and household expenses across Maharashtra and several other states.
