Stripping status symbol
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: June 17, 2014 -

It may have come almost 8 months late; nonetheless, it is good to know that the State Cabinet has finally decided to limit the number of vehicles which would be allowed to use red beacon lights and sirens on the roads of Manipur to only five VIPs, namely the Governor, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Manipur Legislative Assembly Speaker and Chief Justice of High Court of Manipur.

As early as December, 2013, a division bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices G S Singhvi and C Nagappan had directed all the State Governments, giving a three-month window period, to amend the Motor Vehicle Rules to restrict use of the red beacon lights and sirens on vehicles and to impose exemplary fine on those who misused them.

The directive had come following a writ petition filed by one Abhay Singh against misuse of the red beacon lights and sirens by those who are allowed to use them.

Delivering the ruling, the Supreme Court had noted, "What we have done in the last four decades would shock the most established political systems.

The best example is the use of symbols of authority, including the red lights on the vehicles of public representatives from the lowest to the highest and civil servants of various cadres.

The red lights symbolise power and the stark differentiation between those who are allowed to use them and the ones who are not.

A large number of those using vehicles with red lights have no respect for the laws, and they treat the ordinary citizens with contempt.

The use of red lights on the vehicles of public representatives and civil servants has perhaps no parallel in the world democracies."

The casual and liberal interpretation of the words 'high dignitaries' specified under Motor Vehicle Rules by state governments in allowing any politically influential persons to use red beacons and sirens on their vehicles was what the Supreme Court had taken serious note of while passing the directive.

This liberal interpretation of 'high dignitaries' has not only caused a lot of inconvenience to the public while walking or driving on the roads, but the failure on the part of the concerned authorities to check misuse of this status symbol has come to pose serious security problems in the country.

There have been various instances where people using red lights on their vehicles committing crimes in different parts of the country and they do so with impunity simply because the police officials are mostly scared of checking vehicles with red lights.

So, without empowering the police officers and other authorities to be entrusted with the task, it is this same fear that could as well derails the effort of the State Government as well when it comes to checking VIPs from flouting their status symbol on the roads.

Even if the State Cabinet has made clear the Ministers and MLAs, who would now be stripped of the status symbol of flashing red beacon lights and blaring sirens atop their vehicles should attach name plates mentioning their respective designations in case of Ministers and names of assembly constituencies in case of MLAs and they should stick a label 'On Duty' in the vehicle while on official duty but cover the name plates while on private trips, the question still remains whether the police officers would have the 'audacity' to stop the vehicles of any Ministers and MLAs to ask whether they are on official duty or private visit.

By the way, we could never be able to understand why anyone should be so obsessed with such 'false' status symbol on roads either in the form of red beacon lights or name plates when it would make them such easy target for anyone!!!