Srinagar: The Court of District Mobile Magistrate (Traffic) Sopore Thursday directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Traffic, to book and impose penalties on bureaucrats, politicians and judicial officers using beacons and sirens on their vehicles in violation of Motor Vehicle Rules.
The direction ensued a suo moto cognisance of the fact that some bureaucrats (especially some district/executive magistrates including IAS and KAS officers), civil servants, politicians, judicial officers, workers of various political parties, and others are using beacons and sirens on their vehicles.
The users of these lights and sirens have thrown up a VVIP culture at the cost of the public convenience. A reflection of “raj mentality”, the VVIP beacons and sirens have become a nuisance for the tax-paying general public, and is a thorough disregard of the law and the Constitution.
The Court of District Mobile Magistrate (Traffic) Sopore, Javaid Ahmad Parray directed “the police officers, including the Traffic Police and other authorities including the officers of Motor Vehicles Department, shall ensure that violators of rule 108 and 119, irrespective of their status, rank or position shall be booked and appropriate penalties shall be imposed on such violators”.
The magistrate further directed that “in appropriate cases the vehicles of such violators shall be stopped and the red beacon etc., and the multi-toned sirens installed on the vehicles of such violators be removed on the spot.
“In case any resistance is shown by the violators, the police officers and the officers of Motor Vehicle Department shall seize the vehicle and report seizure to this court with promptitude.”
For dealing with this menace of use of red beacons and multi-toned sirens, especially by the government officers, civil servants, district and executive magistrates besides some judicial officers, the IG Traffic Kashmir shall constitute special teams for District Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora, directed the court.
The teams shall be headed by no less than an officer of the rank of DySP and the teams so constituted for these three districts shall clampdown on the violators. “While taking action, the officers of such teams shall not get influenced, intimidated or swayed by the rank or status of the violator. Deputy Inspector General Police (DIG), North Kashmir, shall also constitute such teams to crack whip on the violators of rule 108 and 119,” read the order.
It directed “Deputy Commissioners of District Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora shall issue special orders within their respective jurisdictions directing all the officers subordinate to them to not use red beacons etc., and multi-toned sirens on their vehicles and in case any officer’s vehicle has any such equipment installed, the Deputy Commissioners shall order removal thereof with immediate effect.”
The court ordered “the directions shall be strictly complied with by IG Traffic Kashmir, DIG North Kashmir and Deputy Commissioners of Districts Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora and non-compliance of these directions shall make the officers liable for contempt of this court.
“Actions taken report by the above officers in compliance of these directions shall be filed in the court by the next date fixed hearing”.
The court noted “no action is being taken against the violators by the police, and other authorities empowered under Motor Vehicles Act 1988 for the fear of suffering reprisals at the hands of these violators in that the violators are usually the top brass bureaucrats, politicians, judicial officers, etc.”
It said “the use of red beacons and multi toned sirens has literally segued into menace, which apart from causing unbearable noise pollution to the residents and to the motorists, is also promoting a VVIP culture which is antithetical to the principle of equality enshrined in the Constitution of India.”
