India govt considering 2 time zones

The government of India is considering creation of two time zones because of the difference of two hours between the east and west of the country.   

The government on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha it is "pro-actively" considering the matter of having two separate time zones in the country.

The response came when the issue was raised during Zero Hour by BJD member Bhartruhari Mahtab who highlighted that there was a gap of nearly two hours in sunrise timings between the eastern and the western parts of the country.

Indian commuters travel through a traffic jam on their way to New Delhi from Gurgaon on May 3, 2016.

"Sun rises at 4:00am in Arunachal Pradesh while offices open at 10:00am The Ministry of Science and Technology has also done a study on this in the past," Mahtab said. He said some 2.7 billion units of electricity could be saved if there are two separate time zones and added that only the Centre can take a call on office timings.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar said the government has taken Mahtab's suggestion very "seriously". "He has raised a very important and sensitive matter. The government is pro-actively considering the issue," he said.

As the Lok Sabha was earlier adjourned after the Opposition alleged that the government was ignoring the well- being of farmers, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan expressed happiness over the matter being discussed, saying "some constructive work" is happening in the House.

Copyright: The Statesman/ Asia News Network