Emergency and relief service vehicles, ambulances, fire brigade vehicles exempted
Ending a decades-old VIP tradition, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday decided to do away with beacon lights for all vehicles starting May 1, including those of the President and the Prime Minister. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari led the way by taking the beacon off his official vehicle after the cabinet meeting. Emergency and relief service vehicles, ambulances, fire brigade, and vehicles belonging to the police and army have been exempted.
Calling the decision "historic", Gadkari said that beacons on vehicles have been perceived as symbols of VIP culture and have no place in a democratic country. He added that the cabinet decision will help strengthen healthy democratic values.
The minister said that the government took the decision since sirens and beacons on VIP vehicles didn't sit well with the masses.
"In many states, MLAs use beacon lights and some of them use detachable beacons. Even use of sirens by ministers is not legal and these can be used only by pilot police vehicles," Gadkari said.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will make necessary provisions in the law based on the cabinet decision. "There is no need for any amendment in the Motor Vehicles Act. We can issue the notification and a notice will be issued for public hearing," Gadkari said.
As per the cabinet decision, Rule 108 (1) III of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, that allowed vehicles carrying dignitaries specified by the central or the state governments to fix a red beacon light on top of their vehicles, has been abolished by the government.
The original rule stated that use of blue/amber light with flashers shall be determined and notified by the state governments at their discretion. This discretion now stands withdrawn.
Rule 108 (3), which states that blue light with or without flasher shall be permitted as top light on vehicles escorting VIPs entitled to the use of red light beacons, has not been touched.
In 2013, the Supreme Court (SC) had noted that the use of beacons by ministers and government officials should be ended immediately as they were ridiculous and synonymous with power. Later, the apex court termed beacons as status symbol and said ambulances, fire services, police and the army need red lights, apart from constitutional functionaries. The rest, it said, can be excluded and that there was no need for it to pass an order to that effect.
In 2015, the apex court directed the Centre to prune the list of VIPs using red beacons.
Following the order, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had proposed to trim the list of people entitled to the privilege, but failed to get an adequate response from all states. It had proposed that only governors, chief ministers, and speakers of state assemblies and chief justices of high courts should be allowed to use beacons.
Gadkari, too, had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for their views.
RED SIGNAL
Red Light With Flasher: Those allowed to sport these include 13 VVIPs. Will stop from May 1.
Red Light Without Flasher: 19 dignitaries presently allowed to have these atop of their vehicles. These will be turned off from May 1.
Why?
Rule 108 (1) III of Motor Vehicles Act that allowed a vehicle carrying high dignitaries as specified by the Central Government or the State Government to fix a red beacon light on top has been abolished.
Blue/Amber Lights: Will remain. But the rule governing use of such lights has been amended.
How?
The original rule stated that use of blue/amber light with flasher shall be determined and notified by the state governments at their discretion.
The amended rule now only empowers emergency services to use this category of light. The discretion from state governments stands withdrawn.
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