State Congress Party leader Manuel Badwar has criticised so-called VIP culture in Meghalaya and wants it abolished.
“The VIP culture in Meghalaya is rampant, with the misuse of tinted glass and sirens even by relatives of politicians in power, the use of red registration plates displaying their designations and various other abuses,” he said. “Who are these people trying to show their power to?”
Badwar also reminded that higher officials had previously assured the public they would eliminate tinted glass within six months. He expressed skepticism about whether this would truly happen on the ground, including the implementation of new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that the Chief Minister has initiated after the recent death of a biker who was involved in a collision with a police escort vehicle that was accompanying cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh to the Cherry Blossom Festival.
“We want to see if these orders and SOPs are implemented in good faith and that the unnecessary VIP culture is eradicated in the state,” Badwar stated.
He pointed out that the tragic incident involving the young person’s loss of life could have been prevented. “If there had been a critical state-level or national meeting that day, it might have been understandable for an escort to cause some disruption. However, we learned that other vehicles were also harassed by the escort and they were the ones who also caused a traffic snarl,” he stated. “Our VIPs should also ensure that they leave for important programmes or meetings early enough to arrive on time, thereby avoiding disturbances and public inconveniences.”
