Culture of bouquets, protocol, subordinates receiving senior officers should also end with red beacons: Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani

ON May 1, red beacon culture came to an end, officially. A number of sections under 108 rule (use of red, white and blue light) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 were deleted to ensure that no politician or bureaucrat can use red beacons atop their vehicles. Air India chairman and managing director and 1980 batch Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineering (IRSME) officer Ashwani Lohani said on Monday that…

No Lal Batti from May 1; Are senior bureaucrats happy or sad?

THE use of red beacons which symbolize powers, sense of entitlements and VVIP culture in corridors of Delhi and state capitals and also act as incentives for some candidates wanting to appear for the UPSC examinations, will come to an end from May 1 this year. The union cabinet on Wednesday took a decision to delete several sections under 108 rule (use of red, white and blue light) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, to ensure that no dignitaries including President, Vice-President and Prime Minister, let alone bureaucrats in high positions, will be allowed to use red beacons atop their vehicles. Principal secretary-ranked IAS officer of Haryana cadre Ashok Khemka however took to Twitter to say that…