‘Identity crisis’ after beacon ban:VIPs may get to write designation on cars

The government will amend the Motor Vehicle Rules -- without violating the Allahabad high court’s 2006 order that banned writing of designations on government vehicles.

The Yogi Adityanath government plans to allow dignitaries and bureaucrats to write their designations on their official vehicles to save them from the ‘identity crisis’ they are facing after the ban on red and blue beacons.

The Centre’s move to ban red and blue beacons, which was touted as a step towards ending the VIP culture in the country, became effective from May 1.

For this, the government will amend the Motor Vehicle Rules -- without violating the Allahabad high court’s 2006 order that banned writing of designations on government vehicles.

The Centre’s move to ban red and blue beacons, which was touted as a step towards ending the VIP culture in the country, became effective from May 1.

“With scrapping of provisions for red and blue beacons now, after the high court’s ban on writing designations on official vehicles a decade ago, the identity crisis of dignitaries increased to such an extent that they have to often introduce themselves at places like toll-plazas,” said a senior transport department official requesting anonymity.

“This is why we have proposed an amendment to the MV Rules to provide for writing of designations on number plates of official vehicles belonging to dignitaries, senior officials and other functionaries having to do with law and order duty,” he said.

Sources said the amendment to the MV Rules would be made very soon.

“This will be done by a simple notification, which will become effective within one month of its issuance after the government invites objections/suggestions about the proposed amendments that will be put in the public domain,” the sources said.

They said the authorities who would be allowed to write their designations on their official vehicles will be, by and large, the same ones who were authorized to use red/blue beacons earlier.

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court had on June 23, 2006 directed the state government to stop the illegal practice of any authority or functionary to move in a vehicle with the designation written on them (vehicles.)

Leading by example, the court imposed a similar ban on its judges in the higher and lower judiciary.

“The court had pointed out that the present MV Rules did not provide for any authority to move in a vehicle with his designation on it, and asked the government to amend the rules if it wanted to continue the practice,” the sources said.