Meghalaya Government comes down heavily on VIP culture in state

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Government has come down heavily on VIP culture in the state, tightening the screws on the perceived misuse of sirens, tinted glasses, flashers, beacons and nameplates, signalling a firm pushback against entitlement on the roads. Addressing media persons after Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma underscored that even the Office of the Chief Minister has to write to the Transport Department and seek permission to use flashers on official vehicles.

The Chief Minister stressed that “the tinted glasses will be only for official vehicles of Z Plus and Z category protectees,” adding that a committee headed by the Principal Secretary will scrutinize exceptional cases.

Clarifying the usage of sirens, he said, “The siren can be used only by the vehicles of police, emergency services, and the pilot or escort vehicles of VVIPs and VIPs,” drawing a clear line on who is authorized to create urgency on public roads.

Explaining further, the Chief Minister reiterated that the privilege has been sharply narrowed. “Only police vehicles and the pilot escorts of VVIPs and VIPs can use sirens. So it is limited to police and emergency services, which obviously means ambulances, fire services and others,” he said, noting that any expansion of this list can only be authorized by the committee headed by the Principal Secretary.

On the contentious issue of lights and beacons, Sangma asserted that restrictions remain absolute. “The red light and beacons are not going to be allowed by anybody, because that is the national law,” he said. Flashers too will be strictly regulated. “They will be used only by specific notification of the Transport Department. So only those who are notified by the Transport Department can use flashers… even the Chief Minister’s Office has to write, and only then will permission be given.” The crackdown also extends to nameplates, with the Chief Minister making it unambiguous that the era of self-declared status symbols is over. “The State Transport Department from time to time will notify the list of persons who are entitled to use nameplates… you cannot just randomly put up nameplates or flashers as you wish; you have to take specific permission,” he said, warning that misuse by individuals and organizations will no longer be tolerated. On flag posts and the use of the national flag, he said the government will strictly adhere to “para 3.44 of the Flag Code of India 2002,” ensuring no deviation from the prescribed protocol.

It may be mentioned that police in Ri-Bhoi district recently fined Tanzil Hussain, son of Assam Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, for misusing a flasher light on his vehicle — an incident that sharply spotlighted a pervasive culture of entitlement on the state’s roads. The SOP formulated by the Cabinet aims to clamp down on this VIP culture and restore order, accountability and fairness in public spaces across Meghalaya.

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