Following the ban on sun-control films, many car owners, especially tourist cab operators, have started using cloth screens for some respite from the heat.
However, senior traffic police officers point out even that even such screens are not permitted. If caught, car owners would be asked to remove them, they say.
Car owners state that without some protection from the sun, it is impossible to sit in and drive the vehicle.
“It is difficult to ride the car during the daytime without the film. The radiation is unbearable,” says N. Purushotamman, a resident of Pattabiram who owns a SUV. He says he is now planning to have the window panes changed.
Tourist cab operators, too, feel the pinch.
There are around 10,000 such cars plying the city and many complain they are disadvantaged by the rule.
“Many of our business clients prefer a relaxing ride. But this is not possible when the sun rays hit their face directly. Hence, some of them prefer having the cloth screens,” says an operator.
The Supreme Court, in 2012, banned the use of sun-control films in four-wheelers to curb crimes that were being committed by taking advantage of the film’s opacity. However, tinted window panes complying with certain specifications for opacity are allowed.
According to a senior traffic police officer, the Visual Light Transmission (VLT) should be 70 per cent for the front and rear screens and 50 per cent for the side windows.
“There should be no other material on the panes,” said the traffic police officer.
The officer added that the main purpose of the Supreme Court’s judgment was to have a clear view of people inside the vehicles.
“This is not possible if the window panes are very dark or are covered with any other material,” said the officer.
‘Manufacturers should fix tinted panes’T. Sadagopan, a consumer activist, said if the government was keen on following the Apex court’s order, it should also instruct car manufacturers to fix tinted panes before delivering the vehicles. “Otherwise, the car owners have to spend a lot of money on them,” he said.