Bangladesh cuts office hours, turns off wedding lights to save energy

## Summary
Advertisement Asia Bangladesh cuts office hours, turns off wedding lights to save energy FILE PHOTO: Motorists queue to refuel their motorcycles at a fuel station amid concerns over fuel supply amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 15, 2026. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST DHAKA: Bangladesh cut office and shop hours and banned decorative lighting at weddings starting on Friday (Apr 3) as it seeks to conserve energy stocks after global price hikes due to the Middle East war. CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less "The fuel supply line is unsecured ... both government and private offices will run from 9am to 4pm, while banks will remain open from 9am to 3pm," top government secretary Nasimul Gani told reporters at a news briefing late Thursday. Sign up for our newsletters Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox Subscribe here Get the CNA app Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories Download here Get WhatsApp alerts Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app Join here Related Topics Bangladesh Advertisement Also worth reading Content is loading...

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Bangladesh cuts office hours, turns off wedding lights to save energy
FILE PHOTO: Motorists queue to refuel their motorcycles at a fuel station amid concerns over fuel supply amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File Photo
03 Apr 2026 06:21PM
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DHAKA:
Bangladesh
cut office and shop hours and banned decorative lighting at weddings starting on Friday (Apr 3) as it seeks to conserve energy stocks after global price hikes due to the Middle East war.
Bangladesh imports 95 per cent of its oil and gas needs, mostly from the Middle East and said that, while there are adequate stocks of petrol and diesel, it hopes to mitigate the effects of "unsecured" supply lines.
About 60 per cent of its electricity is generated using imported gas, while diesel is primarily used for farming in the region.
Dhaka ordered all government, private offices and banks to shut an hour earlier each day starting Friday until further notice.
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"The fuel supply line is unsecured ... both government and private offices will run from 9am to 4pm, while banks will remain open from 9am to 3pm," top government secretary Nasimul Gani told reporters at a news briefing late Thursday.
Shopping centres, which normally stay open late, will now shut by 6pm, although stores selling food supplies are expected to keep their usual hours.
Decorative lighting, which was initially banned at malls, has now been extended to include weddings.
Weddings in Bangladesh are celebrations that entertain hundreds of guests at brightly decorated venues and can often co-opt large parts of a neighbourhood.
Related:
Asia barters for scarce energy as Iran crisis throttles supplies
Bangladesh seeks US waiver to import Russian diesel as energy crisis deepens
The government has also asked departments to refrain from purchasing vehicles and computers and to limit money being spent on hospitality costs for work events.
Foreign training missions for government officials have also been suspended, while domestic training will be cut by half.
The measures will reduce at least 30 per cent of total fuel consumption, officials estimated.
Schools and colleges could also see schedule changes as the government considers purchasing electric buses for student transport.
Bangladesh has said it is seeking loans of around US$2 billion from multilateral donors to tackle energy worries.
Apart from the latest measures, the government has also set limits on fuel purchases, halted production at most fertiliser factories and deployed police to patrol filling stations that have recently been packed with motorists.
The government conducted around 5,000 raids and confiscated about 400,000 litres of illegally acquired fuel between Mar 3 and Apr 1, a spokesperson for the Fuel and Energy Division said.
Source: AFP/fh
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less "The fuel supply line is unsecured ... both government and private offices will run from 9am to 4pm, while banks will remain open from 9am to 3pm," top government secretary Nasimul Gani told reporters at a news briefing late Thursday.

### Implications
- CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less "The fuel supply line is unsecured ... both government and private offices will run from 9am to 4pm, while banks will remain open from 9am to 3pm," top government secretary Nasimul Gani told reporters at a news briefing late Thursday.
- Shopping centres, which normally stay open late, will now shut by 6pm, although stores selling food supplies are expected to keep their usual hours.
- Foreign training missions for government officials have also been suspended, while domestic training will be cut by half.
- The measures will reduce at least 30 per cent of total fuel consumption, officials estimated.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers bangladesh, government, fuel topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 680.