The Centre on Monday issued a notification allowing officials on emergency and disaster management-related duties to use beacons on top of their vehicles.
The notification allows use of multi-coloured — red, blue and white light — beacons on top of official vehicles related to “control of fire, police duty, defence forces or paramilitary forces for maintenance of law and order”. Officials on disaster management duties related to “natural disasters, including earthquake, flood, land slide, cyclone, tsunami, and man-made disasters such as nuclear disaster, chemical disaster and biological disaster” can use vehicles with multi-coloured beacons.
“The multi-coloured light shall not be put to use when the vehicle is not on the designated duty,” the notification issued under Rule 108 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 said.
The Transport Department of each State will need to issue a notice enlisting the list of authorities to whom the permission to use vehicles with multi-coloured lights, the notification said.