HC judges opt for bus over car fleet

HC judges opt for bus over car fleet
20 Dec 2007, 0113 hrs IST,Prafulla Marpakwar,TNN

MUMBAI: The red-beacon-flashing official car is the Indian VVIP's preferred mode of travel. But judges of the high court will today pass it up for a more plebeian form of transport-a bus. The judges, who are travelling to Uttan in Thane district for the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a law academy, responded with enthusiasm to the idea which was reportedly mooted by a senior traffic official. While CJI K G Balakrishnan and Bombay HC CJ Swatantra Kumar will travel according to protocol norms, the others-at least 50 HC judges-will board buses for Uttan from the high court. "Instead of 50 cars, they will travel in five to six buses," said a senior official who believes that this act will set a new example for VVIPs who travel only by car. The issue of a large VVIP convoy was first raised last year when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in Mumbai to review the progress of the government's aid package for Vidarbha farmers. Traffic on the entire route from the airport to Raj Bhavan turned chaotic for several hours due to the PM's convoy of 55 vehicles as against the prescribed norm of 17. The state government had taken up the issue of the large number of vehicles in the convoys of the President and Prime Minister with the Centre, but there was no response. "We feel that even for security reasons, there should be fewer cars in the convoy. Besides, in a city like Mumbai it's not advisable to halt traffic either for the President or the PM for a long time," the official added.