Tuesday’s Supreme Court order on the use of red beacon lights, is likely to dash the hopes of several beacon loving ‘stubborn’ VIPs at least in Himachal Pradesh, as the State Government is grappling to contain their lust for status symbol.
In its order on a PIl for indiscriminate use of beacon and sirens, the apex court said that red beacon be allowed for use only by persons holding constitutional posts and high dignitaries and not by local politicians. The Court had also asked the Centre to amend the rules within three months for use of beacon lights and submit a fresh list of persons entitled to the use of red beacon lights. The apex court had also added in its order that the State Government cannot enlarge the list of VIPs eligible for beacon lights.
Earlier, the State Government had in past one month issued two reminders for persons eligible for use of beacon and flags after complaints of rampant misuse of national flags and beacon lights reached the State headquarter. According to the complaints, chairmen of different boards and corporation considered close to Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, were spotted openly flaunting the flags and lights from their official and private vehicles.
With the apex court order, now the chief parliamentary secretary and chairmen of different boards and corporation are all set to lose the beacon lights and national flags. “We have not gone through the Supreme Court order and after going through it we will be able to say anything. The State Government had already issued reminders for the use of beacon lights and national flags on official and private vehicles,” said officiating chief secretary P Mitra.
Sources said that if Supreme Court order is implemented in letter and spirit then MPs, MlAs, CPS and chairmen of different bodies are all set to loose beacon lights which the flashes in the State as more of a status symbol Himachal Pradesh has been seeing rampant use of beacon lights as according to Government notification apart from the persons holding constitutional posts, several chairmen of corporation, ex-Speaker of Assembly, political advisor to the Chief Minister, MPs, MlAs, principal secretaries and secretaries of State Government, vice-chancellor of different universities are allowed to use beacon lights.
Rampant misuse of red beacon light is prevalent by chairmen, ex-chairmen of different boards, corporation, ex-MlAs/MPs, family members of VIPs, local leaders close to ruling party, who use beacon lights on private vehicles without any restrictions.