State writes to Centre protesting beacon ban without consultation

The state wrote to the Centre protesting against the decision of banning beacons without proper consultation.

Sources said that though most of the ministers and bureaucrats in the state do not use beacon lights in their cars, the state government has written to the Centre in this regard as a mark of protest against its one-sided decision. It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had raised her voice repeatedly against several such steps of the Centre over various issues. She had even criticised the Centre's move to directly contact senior officials in the state after bypassing the state government which has been elected by the people.

Though the bureaucrats in the state have been asked not to use beacon lights, the state government has taken a tough stand against the decision that the Centre has taken without proper discussion with the state government and without considering their proposals.

The Union Cabinet had decided to remove beacons from all vehicles from May 1 to bring an end to the "VIP culture" and imposed conditions on the use of blue beacon lights. The latter could be used only in ambulances, vehicles of the fire department and vehicles of anti-corruption cells of different investigating agencies. But the decision was not of much significance in the state as most ministers including the Chief Minister do not use the same in their cars.