Jairam Ramesh welcomes SC directive on use of red beacons

Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court directive that only constitutional authorities should be permitted to use red beacons, and suggested that only the Prime Minister and the President should be entitled to use the red beacon lights.

Describing the idea of using red beacon lights as 'terrible', Ramesh said, "My view is that only the Prime Minister and the President should use the red beacon. I don't have a beacon light, although I am entitled to one. I think it is too much and we need to get out of it,"

Tariq Anwar of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) also welcomed the SC's order, saying, " I think people should abide by the Supreme Court order though the Centre had already issued its guidelines in this matter."

Sabir Ali of Janata Dal United (JD-U) said the SC should look into bigger issues, which are affecting people rather taking note of 'petty topics' like use of red beacons. He said:

"The Supreme Court should also define the meaning of a constitutional post. The SC should look into the issues, which are affecting the people, rather giving importance to such matters. The focus should be on the issues like corruption, land grabbing, and price rise among others," he said.

"I never understood how a red beacon displeases the people. Though I don't have a red beacon on my car, but it helps in identification of vehicles of important dignitaries like a Chief Minister, a High court judge or a Supreme Court judge. And if it is annoying the common man so much, than I think people should stop using 'surnames' to identify them," he added.

Earlier, a bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi asked the Centre to issue a fresh list of people eligible for using red beacon on their vehicles and asked the government to amend the rule within three months.

It also asked the government to make appropriate amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act to make the fine amount deterrent, and banned the use of pressure horns, multiple sound emitting horns and musical horns in vehicles.

The court passed the order on a PIL filed by Uttar Pradesh resident Abhay Singh on the misuse of red beacon lights. It said that misuse of red beacon and siren, granted by government to VIPs, was a 'menace to society' and it must be stopped.