<p>Have you ever been caught in a VIP cavalcade while rushing to office, to an examination centre or worse still in an ambulance to the hospital? Then you would probably empathise with Manish and Sameer, motorists who were arrested for not giving way to CM Sheila Dikshit’s convoy in North Delhi last week.<br /><br /></p>.<p> They were questioned by officials of the local police, Intelligence Bureau and Special Cell and their car checked by the bomb squad; but as it later turned out they were simply confused by the instructions of the CM’s escort team behind them.<br /><br />However, worse cases have happened. Anil Jain, 46, died waiting to reach GB Pant hospital as his ambulance was caught in the PM’s cavalcade at Rajghat in 2010. Before that seven-year-old Aman Khan died under similar circumstances in Kanpur while the PM was there for a visit and in 2009, a 32-year-old man died at the gates of a Chandigarh hospital with medical aid denied to him, allegedly because of the Prime Minister’s <br />security.<br /><br />With Delhi being the political centre and political leaders of various ranks moving in and out of the City all the time, some traffic inconvenience to residents is understandable but it is the inexplicable secrecy regarding the subject of traffic concessions to our ministers which is breeding even more confusion and misuse of existing provisions.<br /><br />As a senior Delhi police official explained to Metrolife anonymously, “Officially, route clearance is done only for the President, visiting heads of states and the Prime Minister.<br /> Say, if the President is coming from Indira Gandhi International Airport to Rashtrapati Bhavan, two hours before she reaches the designated route a number of officials will be placed along the route to check for any threats. However, traffic will be cleared on that route for up to 1 km only two minutes before the cavalcade actually arrives.<br /><br /> For dignitaries with an SPG security cauldron and Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors only red lights are turned green. Besides this, no traffic related concession is provided to anybody.” However, as is clear with the above mentioned cases, the stated time of two minutes of traffic hold up exceeds almost always. Anil Jain’s family alleged that they were stopped for nothing less than half-an-hour.<br /><br />Besides, rules regarding fitting beacons on VIP cars are also regularly flouted. Girish Kukreti, Director, Institute of Road Safety & Fleet Management informs, “Under rule 108 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, red light with flasher is permitted to select dignitaries like the President, PM, Speaker and leaders of opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers, state governors, Chief Justice of India etc.. Red light without flasher is for officials like the CEC, CAG, Attorney General, Members of the Planning Commission, Chairman of the Minority Commission, UPSC etc.. However, very frequently government officials who do not fall in the above two lists are seen using beacons.<br /><br />“This is besides the fact that many a time, escort teams of officials who are only allowed beacons and no other concessions, wave at passing traffic to make way which is not correct. Sometimes guards do that with weapons in hand which is as good as intimidation. Even ambulances and fire brigades which have a right of way above all under the rule of road regulation 10 are not allowed to pass.” Dr. Rohit Baluja, President of the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) adds, “If you visit countries like Norway, Sweden , Denmark and England, you will see that the PM travels with the traffic. The common man is not held up for them. However, a comparison is not right as the congestion on the roads and threat perception is definitely <br />more here.<br /><br />“But having said that, every politician and bureaucrat must remember that he or she is a public person. They are servants of the public and should conduct themselves accordingly. So respect the people who have elected you and keep the public ahead of yourself, on the roads as well.” <br /></p>
<p>Have you ever been caught in a VIP cavalcade while rushing to office, to an examination centre or worse still in an ambulance to the hospital? Then you would probably empathise with Manish and Sameer, motorists who were arrested for not giving way to CM Sheila Dikshit’s convoy in North Delhi last week.<br /><br /></p>.<p> They were questioned by officials of the local police, Intelligence Bureau and Special Cell and their car checked by the bomb squad; but as it later turned out they were simply confused by the instructions of the CM’s escort team behind them.<br /><br />However, worse cases have happened. Anil Jain, 46, died waiting to reach GB Pant hospital as his ambulance was caught in the PM’s cavalcade at Rajghat in 2010. Before that seven-year-old Aman Khan died under similar circumstances in Kanpur while the PM was there for a visit and in 2009, a 32-year-old man died at the gates of a Chandigarh hospital with medical aid denied to him, allegedly because of the Prime Minister’s <br />security.<br /><br />With Delhi being the political centre and political leaders of various ranks moving in and out of the City all the time, some traffic inconvenience to residents is understandable but it is the inexplicable secrecy regarding the subject of traffic concessions to our ministers which is breeding even more confusion and misuse of existing provisions.<br /><br />As a senior Delhi police official explained to Metrolife anonymously, “Officially, route clearance is done only for the President, visiting heads of states and the Prime Minister.<br /> Say, if the President is coming from Indira Gandhi International Airport to Rashtrapati Bhavan, two hours before she reaches the designated route a number of officials will be placed along the route to check for any threats. However, traffic will be cleared on that route for up to 1 km only two minutes before the cavalcade actually arrives.<br /><br /> For dignitaries with an SPG security cauldron and Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors only red lights are turned green. Besides this, no traffic related concession is provided to anybody.” However, as is clear with the above mentioned cases, the stated time of two minutes of traffic hold up exceeds almost always. Anil Jain’s family alleged that they were stopped for nothing less than half-an-hour.<br /><br />Besides, rules regarding fitting beacons on VIP cars are also regularly flouted. Girish Kukreti, Director, Institute of Road Safety & Fleet Management informs, “Under rule 108 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, red light with flasher is permitted to select dignitaries like the President, PM, Speaker and leaders of opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Chief Ministers, state governors, Chief Justice of India etc.. Red light without flasher is for officials like the CEC, CAG, Attorney General, Members of the Planning Commission, Chairman of the Minority Commission, UPSC etc.. However, very frequently government officials who do not fall in the above two lists are seen using beacons.<br /><br />“This is besides the fact that many a time, escort teams of officials who are only allowed beacons and no other concessions, wave at passing traffic to make way which is not correct. Sometimes guards do that with weapons in hand which is as good as intimidation. Even ambulances and fire brigades which have a right of way above all under the rule of road regulation 10 are not allowed to pass.” Dr. Rohit Baluja, President of the Institute of Road Traffic Education (IRTE) adds, “If you visit countries like Norway, Sweden , Denmark and England, you will see that the PM travels with the traffic. The common man is not held up for them. However, a comparison is not right as the congestion on the roads and threat perception is definitely <br />more here.<br /><br />“But having said that, every politician and bureaucrat must remember that he or she is a public person. They are servants of the public and should conduct themselves accordingly. So respect the people who have elected you and keep the public ahead of yourself, on the roads as well.” <br /></p>
