Telangana: No more beacon light atop any vehicle

HYDERABAD: Necessary action will be taken by the Hyderabad traffic police against people who don’t follow the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MRTH) rules prohibiting the use of red or blue light on their vehicles. According to the Central Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Rules 2017, red, blue and white beacon lights can only be used by designated vehicles for emergency and disaster management services, and even then, only when the vehicle is on designated duty.

The Government of India, through the MRTH, issued a notification vide number G.S.R. 423(E) prohibiting the use of red or blue lights on motor vehicles by any other individual. Dr Ravindar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad Traffic Police, said special drives have been started to catch people still using the beacon lights after May 1. “We have instructed our teams to immediately report any such cases and a fine of between Rs 100 and Rs 300 will be imposed for violating rules on red beacons under Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act,” he said.

The ban on beacon lights and the accompanying siren will not only reduce VIP culture but will also reduce noise pollution levels in the city, says the state pollution control board. A recent survey by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) found that the average level of noise pollution exceeds the permissible limits in seven cities of the country, including Hyderabad.

N Raveendhar, senior scientist at TSPCB, said that noise pollution in Hyderabad has exceeded the permissible limits. “Around 85-90 decibels of noise pollution results from these sirens. With noise levels due to these sirens being so high,at least 10 per cent of the pollution can be controlled. There will also be less traffic jams as there will be zero VIP movement and less traffic means less honking.”