Apparently taking a cue from Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari who was the first to remove the beacon from his vehicle soon after the April 19 Cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, vowing to end VIP culture, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has done the same on Thursday. later, while interacting with the mediapersons, Rawat reiterated his Government's commitment to end the culture of the dignitaries flaunting red beacons atop their vehicles by way of status symbol.
Emulating the lead given by the CM, the Assembly Speaker and all the members of the State Council of Ministers had the beacons removed from their vehicles the same day. CM Rawat said that he was thankful with all the Ministers showing determination to rid the State of the VIP culture. Notably, the Union Cabinet has fixed April 30 as the deadline for all, enjoying the beacon privileges, to conform to the norms laid down by the Centre. The deadline is significantly ending on May 1, known as the International labour Day.
Talking to the mediapersons, Speaker Premchand Aggrawal said that the initiative taken by the Prime Minister must be lauded as a landmark one, marking the end of the culture that nurtures a gulf between the people's representatives and the people themselves. "The PM having exempted the emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire tenders from the beacon ban should be lauded too," the Speaker said.
State Education Minister Arvind Pandey also echoed the same sentiment, saying that the people's representatives had been more engaged in showing off the beacons to mark their arrogant distance from the people rather than in working for the welfare of the people. "I am happy to have it removed from my vehicles," he said.
State Finance Minister Prakash Pant said that the end of the legacy of the VIP culture would usher in a new era when the gulf distancing the people and the people's representatives would be blurred. "The common people facing trouble on the roads because of the VIP culture would be spared the hassle from now onwards. The traffic police manning the roads would cease giving any special treatment accorded to the so-called VIPs. This step would bridge the gap between the mass and the Government, bringing the latter closer to the former," he said.