TURA, Dec 13: Roads have always been a public utility and there is not one soul in the entire country that has not used one to travel to and fro. While public utility it may be, for some it becomes their sole privilege to not only use the road but to ensure everyone else moves aside while they are travelling. Welcome to the culture of the VIPs and ministers of the state of Meghalaya.
The latest case of a speeding convoy actually banging into a car that was possibly a little slow in giving way and then not even checking whether the occupants were safe shows how much privilege has seeped into the entire system.
That the people who were the victims in the case is a government employee and his wife, who is the sister of a former MLA, just indicated where priorities lie for those seeking to escort VIPs and ministers in their day-to-day businesses. Further, the fact that it was the convoy of the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma should have made those accompanying him even more careful, something that was eschewed in the case.
The incident took place in the afternoon of December 10 when the couple were hit near the NEHU Tura campus while returning from a nearby village. The vehicle that hit their car was amongst the convoy that was taking the CM to a clan meeting in Tura. However, despite the fact that both occupants, DTO of SWGH Sengban Marak and his wife Juri D Shira, were injured, there was no stopping the convoy, which continued onwards at breakneck speeds.
The couple suffered injuries as they were pressed against the dashboard of their car, which too suffered extensive damage. A case is expected to be filed with the police soon on the incident, though the DTO could not be contacted for comment.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case.
There is not one vehicle that plies on the roads in the state that will not vouch for the fact they were not only pushed aside to make way for a minister or a VIP who felt his time was more important than those that are plying on the route they were taking.
“You should just see the aggression in the people escorting VIPs. They just want you to give way even if that means you push your vehicle out of the road. If you don’t, angry hand gestures by over eager policemen will taunt and haunt you. Of course, all these come with sirens blazing and speeds that are mind-boggling for hill roads,” said Maxbirth G Momin, a resident of Tura, on the issue.
The aggression, it seems, is all-pervading as the entire convoy, be it four vehicles or 20, move at breakneck speeds, disregarding all safety matters for the sake of making up for time.
Whether that perceived emergency is real or not is debatable.
Early this year in January, a motorcyclist was killed in an accident near Songsak in East Garo Hills when a police gypsy escorting Home Minister Lahkmen Rymbui went and hit it.
While there is still debate on what exactly happened, passersby maintained that the police vehicle was in the wrong lane due to which the accident took place. An investigation into the matter is still under way.
What seriously makes the ministers and VIPs think that their privilege to use the road is greater than anyone else’s is beyond understanding. Accompanied by sirens and red lights, their presence on the road makes everyone else uncomfortable.
“Even in roads where there is hardly any traffic, you will still hear the sirens and red lights go. It’s scary how they force cars off the road or make them stop completely. When there is really no emergency, why the need for such a show unless you just want to convey that you are more privileged than the rest of us,” felt another resident, SD Sangma.
The issue of sirens is not limited to only ministers and VIPs. It percolates to even the police force. It is not uncommon to see traffic being stopped completely just to allow for some senior police officials to get from their place of residence to the office. This happens on a daily basis in some districts and done with impunity even during normal times.
Earlier in 2013, the Supreme Court had come down heavily on various governments of the country over the misuse of sirens and red beacons. The SC had sought action against those who used these as symbols of power with bureaucrats and politicians also being asked to curb the use of such lights and sirens while also limiting the numbers that could be provided.
Prior to the ruling, it was not uncommon to see relatives of ministers and bureaucrats using beacons and sirens as well as being provided security at the cost of the state.
In many cases, it was found that criminals, using beacons and sirens, were upending crime as security forces were fearful of checking VIP vehicles, something the Apex Court had noted.
While the ruling provided some relief to commoners for a while, these bad habits were not about to become history just yet. A few years after the SC ruling, things once again seem to be back to where it was previously with none the wiser.
“How can getting to your office be an emergency unless you are already late in which case it is not the public’s fault? It seems the time of flaunting power may just be back and this time with a vengeance. Imagine the definition of humility among ministers and VIPs has changed to acknowledge people who don’t use the beacon and siren,” said a resident of Mendipathar on the condition of anonymity.