Offices, schools in Punjab to now function from 7.30 am to 1.30 pm

Announcing the decision on X, the Punjab chief minister said the revised timings were necessitated due to the prevailing extreme weather conditions

Amid an intense heatwave and soaring temperatures across Punjab, chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday announced revised working hours for all government offices and schools across the state from May 25.

An elderly man offers cold water to children seated inside an auto-rickshaw on a hot summer day in Amritsar. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

Under the new schedule, all government offices and educational institutions — including government, aided and private schools — will function from 7.30am to 1.30pm until further orders.

Announcing the decision on X, Mann said the revised timings were necessitated due to the prevailing extreme weather conditions. “Keeping in view the summer heat, the timings of all government offices and all schools, for all classes, will be from 7:30 AM to 1:30 PM from Monday, May 25 onwards,” he posted.

Officials said the move aims to minimise students’ exposure to harsh afternoon temperatures, which have intensified across several districts over the past week. Authorities also expect the revised timings to help reduce electricity consumption during peak afternoon hours, when power demand surges due to increased cooling requirements.

Senior officials in the school education department said detailed implementation guidelines would soon be issued to schools across the state. The order will apply uniformly to all classes.

Punjab had adopted a similar measure in April 2023, when office timings were advanced to 7.30am to 2pm during the summer months to conserve electricity and ease pressure on the power infrastructure.

Several districts in the region have witnessed heatwave-like conditions in recent days, prompting authorities to advise residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure during afternoon hours.