12 PCS officers write to CM Adityanath, request to permit use of blue beacon

After Prime Minister Narendra Modi's order on removal of blue and red beacon from the VIP cars, 12 officers of Provincial Civil Services (PCS) on Sunday wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath requesting that they be allowed to use blue beacon citing law and order issues.

Issuing a notification on Saturday, Yogi Adityanath's government had put a stop to the use of red and blue beacons with immediate effect.

Yesterday, Adityanath's government barred all its officials from using red and blue beacons and also decided to lessen the strength of security provided to VIPs.

Emergency services like fire brigade, ambulances, vehicles of armed forces and police will be exempted from this ban.

The decision to end the VIP culture taken by the Union Cabinet will be implemented from May 1.

It is reported that five categories would be allowed to use the red beacon- President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of India and the Lok Sabha Speaker.

The ban applies to union ministers, chief ministers, state cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and judges of the High Court and Supreme Court.

It was reported last week that the Prime Minister's Office ( PMO) had called a meeting to discuss whether the red beacon should be discarded or restricted to certain dignitaries.

Captain Amarinder Singh and Yogi Adityanath, the new chief ministers of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, have already taken steps to either end or restrict VIP culture.

In its first cabinet meeting, chaired by Captain Amarinder, the newly formed Punjab Government decided to completely shun the VIP culture by removing the red, yellow and blue beacons from their official vehicles.