Are the VVIPs expected to follow speed limit norms as per Motor Vehicle rules?
16 Oct, 2013
An application was filed with the Transport Commissionerate, Thiruvananthapuram under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to know whether the VVIPs are covered under the speed limit norms set for vehicles on Kerala roads.
The reply to the application, provided by the Joint Transport Commissioner and Senior DTC (Taxation), states that the speed of the vehicles is restricted by a Government Order issued in 1996 under which the maximum speed of a motor vehicle is fixed at 40 kmph in city area, 25 kmph near educational institutions and 70 kmph at all other places. The reply also said that the Government Order is equally applicable to all vehicles, including those of the Chief Minister of the state and even the President and the Prime Minister of India. This is because the existing Motor Vehicles Act and Rules and the relevant notifications don’t prescribe any exemption from the norms.
However, the Joint Transport Commissioner (Enforcement) accepted that despite the presence of law to restrict the speed of the vehicles, the department has not been able to dictate terms on the speeding vehicles of the ministers.