Union Cabinet decided to ban the use of red beacons

•  The union cabinet decided to ban the use of red beacons on all VIP vehicles, including those of the President, Vice-President and Prime Minister, from May 1.
• Emergency services, like ambulances and fire brigade, will be allowed to use blue beacons.
• Rule 108 (I) and 108 (II) of the Motor Vehicles Act, which allow central and state governments to permit red beacons for dignitaries, would be scrapped.
• Some state governments have already barred the use of red beacons. In Punjab, for instance, soon after winning the Assembly polls, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh decided to remove red beacons from all government vehicles, including those of the chief minister and all ministers.
• As per the existing practice, a red light beacon can be used atop of vehicles of high dignitaries specified by the Central and State government.
• As per the notification issued by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways in 2005, the following dignitaries were eligible to use red light with a flasher. They are the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Former President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Cabinet Ministers of the Union, Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Former Prime Ministers, Leaders of Oppositions in the Rajya Sabha & Lok Sabha, Judges of the Supreme Court.
• The Supreme Court in 2013 directed States to amend the Motor Vehicle Rules to restrict the use of the red beacon. It had stated that only constitutional authorities should be allowed to use the red beacon.

Analysis:

• The decision comes more than three years after the Supreme Court first raised the issue of red beacons and asked for restrictions on their use in December 2013.
• At present, red beacons are installed on vehicles of dignitaries specified by the central and state governments. Now, neither can nominate officials to use them.
• The flashing red light (and the accompanying siren) is a sign of someone important approaching and a warning to make way. But what many see as a symbol of entitlement also serves as an aspiration for young men and women across the country.
• The decision of the cabinet assumes significance in the aftermath of the attack on the Parliament in 2001. During the attack, the terrorists entered the Parliament complex through a vehicle fitted with a red beacon. With this decision, it would be easier for the traffic authorities to nab violators illegally using red beacons and prevent the repeat of 2001 incidents. Recently, the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab decided not to use the red beacon on their official cars

By: Vishal