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Police, defence vehicles allowed to use multi-colour beacons

  • Centre has allowed emergency vehicles on duty for maintaining law and order to use red, blue and white beacon lights
  • The Centre had decided that beacon lights will be removed from all vehicles from May 1
  • However, ambulances and fire brigade were left out of this rule
Police defence vehicles allowed to use multi colour beacons VIP culture

Seeking to end the VIP culture, the Union Cabinet last month had decided that beacon lights will be removed from all vehicles from May 1, except emergency vehicles, like ambulances and fire brigade.

"The central government at this moment specifies that the vehicles on office duty which are designated for the... emergency and disaster management duties may be allowed to use multi-coloured red, blue and white lights," the road transport and highways ministry said in a notification.

Elaborating on it, the notification said these pertain to the duties relating to control of fire and the duties by police, defence forces or paramilitary forces for maintenance of law and order.

Also, the duties relating to the management of natural disasters including earthquake, flood, landslide, cyclone, tsunami and man-made disasters including nuclear disaster, chemical disaster and biological disaster can use such lights.

"The multi-coloured light shall not be put to use when the vehicle is not on the designated duty," the notification issued in pursuance of powers conferred on the Centra government under sub-rule 4 of rule 108 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 said.

The notification mentioned that every year, the transport department of the state or union territory administration, as the case may be, shall issue a public notice bringing to the notice of the general public the list of authorities to whom the permission to use the vehicles specified.

Also Read: VIP beacons removed: Civil servants look for alternatives to identify VIP cars

It said such vehicles should display on their windscreen the sticker issued by the transport department of the concerned state or union territory which shall include details of the state government or union territory, designation of the officer and vehicle number.

"Only one sticker shall be issued to the designated officer for one vehicle at one point of time," the notification said, adding the sticker shall be on security printed watermark paper and shall carry hologram as specified by the transport department of the concerned state government or union territory administration.

The government after the Cabinet meeting on April 19 had said that the vehicles with beacon lights, which are seen as a symbol of VIP culture, "have no place in a democratic country". A rule that empowered the Centre or state governments to allow the use of red beacon lights to dignitaries will be altogether removed from the statute books.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari had said, "The government is of the considered opinion that beacons on vehicles are perceived symbols of VIP culture and have no place in a democratic country. They have no relevance whatsoever."

 

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