Seeing the prolonged misuse of the red beacon, the Govt. of India has decided to limit its usage from 1st May'17 onwards. The red beacon came into play during the colonial times when the Britishers put it on the head of their ambassadors. The purpose was to distinguish them from the ordinary and place them as very important persons in the eyes of the commons. The trend has been continuing in our country since then and it is no surprise that our officials misuse the red beacon to show off their ranks and status among the people and get through clear roads, even if it is not required.
Whenever a car with the red beacon is to pass through a particular area, all the routes are closed for the public traversing, thus causing heavy and time-wasting traffic jams. A question was raised by the Supreme Court in Dec.'13- Is this isolation by the dignitaries required? Now, they have confirmed a selective ban on the red beacon effective from May 1, for which they will have to amend rule 108 of the Central Motor Vehicles section, written in 1989. The central and state govt. will limit the usage only to certain bureaucrats, which may include The President, The prime minister, Chief Justice of India, and Speaker of The Lok Sabha. Even their usage shall be limited only to emergency situations. The Ministry of Road Transportation will look at the effective implication of the law.
Also, the usage of blue beacons by on vehicles like ambulances, fire brigades, and police cars or other officials from Navy, Forest departments etc. has also come into question. It is proposed that its usage is checked and regulated in order to limit it only to the dire emergency situations. This shall reduce unnecessary traffic jams and smooth movement of vehicles, unless an emergency. The political parties support the move and its implication shall bring about a good relief to the on road commuters, especially in the metropolitan cities.
