Red beacons–the most glaring symbol of India’s VIP culture– might be gone but attention-hungry politicians are still not ready to let go of their prized status. To keep the VIP cuture alive, they are now exploring new ways to distinguish themselves from the commoners, if some reports are to go by.
According to a Times Of India report, politicians in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana have already replaced the beacons with sirens and hooters.
Several politicians in Madhya Pradesh have planted hooters on their cars to mark their VIP status.
This move, however is against the rules.
The Center Motor Vehicle Rules does not allow the use of siren or hooter in any vehicle except for ambulances, fire brigades and construction equipment vehicles besides those used by police.
But is that stopping them? No.
Other states like Maharashtra are exploring their options that can be exercised by VIPs without flouting the rules. According to Minister of state for home Deepak Kesarkar, when a VIP like a minister is travelling, there should be something to distinguish his car from other vehicles for the purpose of security.
A similar thing was reported from Hyderabad too, where many VIPs were seen blaring sirens near road junctions to get the traffic green channel, upsetting citizens.
It won’t be too long when other states will also come up with some jugaad to assert their importance.
