Traffic police in East Khasi Hills district will now launch a crackdown on vehicles with tinted glasses.
East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Shailendra Bamaniya in an order issued yesterday said that police will start penalising against vehicles with tinted glasses for violating Rules 92 and 100 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 read with Section 177 of Motor Vehicle Act and will also remove the black films from the offending vehicles.
The order was in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment passed on April 27, 2012 prohibiting the use of black films of any percentage on safety glasses, windscreen (front and rear) and side glasses.
The decision by the traffic police followed a report in the Highland Post published on June 12 under the headline, “Cars with tinted glasses have a free run on roads.”
The news report featured pictures of vehicles with heavily tinted windows and windscreens moving freely in the roads without any fear of the law.
According to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, the glass of windscreen and rear windows of vehicles should have a visual light transmission of 70 per cent and for side windows it should be at least 50 per cent.
It may be mentioned that the recommendation for using tinted glass even for vehicles used by VIPs enjoying Z+ or Z-category security has to be given by the State Security Commission.
The Shillong Traffic Police in 2019 had sought a written clarification from the State government to know the number of VIPs who have been exempted from using tinted glasses in their vehicles because there are officials who claimed themselves to be falling under a certain security category.
That same year, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (Traffic), who stopped the vehicle of MLA, Kimfa Sidney Marbañiang for having tinted glass had to face the Assembly Privileges Committee after the legislator (who did not possess exemption certificate from the State Security Commission) lodged a complaint against the “behaviour” of the police officer.
Without a list of VIPs who are exempted from the tinted glass rule, the traffic police personnel on the roads would find it a daunting task to take any punitive action against violators.
Director General of Police, L R Bishnoi said, “Security is a sensitive matter” and asked the press that replies could be given only through proper channels by filing RTI queries.
Such was the terse reply by the State police chief when Highland Post had in-boxed a message on his Twitter handle on how many persons have been cleared by the State Security Commission to use opaque/tinted glasses on their cars and the list of persons who fall under the Z and Z+ categories.
However, the dozens of dark tinted vehicles driving around in the main city thoroughfares or the rural roads of the State is forcing citizens to conclude that the Supreme Court judgement failed to operate in Meghalaya and if this is so, the State Security Commission ought to explain the reason for allegedly giving permission to the huge number of vehicles, both private and government, to use tinted windows.
