The PCS (Provincial civil service) officers of UP, the state civil service, have opposed the ban on the use of blue light and flasher on official vehicles. Citing the hazards of the law and order duty the state civil service has demanded exemption from the order banning the use of blue and red lights on the official vehicles.
UP government earlier this week on April 20 had issued orders banning the use of red beacon lights and blue lights by the ministers and bureaucrats following the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directives to end ``lal batti’’ culture. The government order banned the use of red beacons with flasher by ministers and bureaucrats. However, essential services like fire brigade, ambulances and police vehicles are exempted from the ban. The police escorts with ministers will also have beacon light on their cars.
The state civil service has however sought the restoration of the facility of blue light on the top of the official vehicles only for the officers posted in districts performing magisterial duty as Sub divisional magistrate, additional city magistrate and additional district magistrate.
“We are not asking for the facility of blue light on the vehicles of all the PCS officers like those posted in state secretariat and government departments. Our demand is specifically for the field officers working as magistrates’’, said Pawan Gangwar, secretary of the UP PCS Officers Association. He added`` we are seeking exemption from the ban order on the same ground the exemption has been given to the police’’.
“The police work in the leadership of the magistrate and they have to obtain prior permission of the magistrate for enforcement action to deal with the unlawful assembly of the people. Occurrence of incidents like disruption of traffic on road and rail road organised by the political parties or any other incident posing a threat to the law and order is common in UP and the police and the magistrate are required to reach the place of incidents as early as possible’’, said Pawan Gangwar .
“We have received representations from several districts against the government order banning the use of blue lights. We will soon convene the meeting of the executive of the association and formally adopt the resolution urging the government to exempt the PCS officers posted in the district from the ban’’, said Pawan gangwar.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had informed the Cabinet Ministers about the PM’s decision about ‘lal batti’ and suggested that the UP Ministers should follow suit. The Ministers agreed and themselves removed the red beacon from their official cars. Chief Minister has also decided to reduce the strength of escort vehicles and additional forces deployed for the security of VIPs. The decision had its impact immediately. Almost all the ministers and bureaucrats removed blue and red beacon lights. Chief Minister’s car too did not have red beacon and the number of his security vehicles were pruned too.