[am1m]

Originally Posted by MartinVirage

And of all the surprises - The road on which the PM was going to pass was fixed overnight. Believe me when I say, it was just the exact road where he was going to pass - just that lane

Saw the same thing in Bangalore a few years ago. For years one of the main roads in the city (the Old Airport road) had potholes and bad stretches while some underpass was being constructed. Used to use that road everyday. Overnight they fixed one stretch and on one side only. Why? Because the President was flying in to the old airport, but flying out of the new one. So fixing that side was enough because he wouldn't be using the other side on the way back!

While I'm all for the highest government official in the country having a safe, smooth and quick drive for those 15-20 mins once in a decade, have to ask- what about the tens of thousands of us who use those roads everyday and pay for those roads from the taxes on our salaries?!

[Gaur]

Such kind of abuse of power is more likely to be seen with small time politicians or the ones with high ego.

A few months back however had a very interesting observation about a MLA from Mumbai who belongs to a U.P based party, this man is a known thug, (additional identification point: his son runs a popular hangout and is married to an ex-Bollywood actress)

So this Netaji was attending a wedding and entered the venue in his Land rover he was being followed by a bolero/TUV300 with guards but what caught my eye was the Pilot vehicle which was not a police vehicle but an Bolero Ambulance which was blaring siren and lights.

As he is not a minister and not entitled to a official pilot vehicle he found an ingenious way to massage his ego

We have no other option but to bear with them.

[SR-71]

Originally Posted by DreamcarFerrari

Even the Judiciary feels entitled, how can we expect a change.https://Youtu.be/IAmkq7p5u6M

Hats off to that toll booth staff who stood his moral ground and rightly so!

Originally Posted by Gaur

We have no other option but to bear with them.

Well we do, that unicorn of an option does show itself once every 5 years!

[RunGaDa]

Exactly!!
The hypocrisy of Indian Democracy allows some people to be more than equal than the commoners.
One case happened with me on a very non-hectic week day, on a road which has the least traffic in Hyderabad. The hidden camera challaned me for going above the speed limit on a 40 KMPH road. I think I was at 50KMPH. The challan read - "Dangerous Driving / Speeding" when on the same road at the same hour there were 100s of VIP cars speeding at 80 KMPH because some VIPs were guest of honor at some annual event.

I did pay my challan and lately realized I was a fool to pay it too soon. Atleast I would have gotten a discount of 50%.

But, I want to know if any one has contested their challans and how did they do this?

[Pr4mod]

I recently got into an incident with a driver of a "VVIP vehicle" because I was simply taking the violating car's picture. He came at me and said it was illegal for me to click photos of high ranking persons from society for security reasons. He threatened me to delete them but by that time a traffic police constable came by seeing the loud talking /& crowd gathering. He then told the driver of that car to go as it is perfectly legal for anyone to click violations of all vehicles on roads. The police constable then told me to speak more loudly and clearly if I am doing something right. We then parted ways.

Attaching violation below for better understanding. They kept the 'Indian Emblem' on the rear number plate to avoid any challans taken from rear (signal jumping, stop line crossing, police constables who take pictures manually for not wearing seat belts, driver talking on phone etc.).

Violation: Willfully withholding information.
Challan fine: Rs 500.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Pr4mod

I recently got into an incident with a driver of a "VVIP vehicle" because I was simply taking the violating car's picture.
He then told the driver of that car to go as it is perfectly legal for anyone to click violations of all vehicles on roads. The police constable then told me to speak more loudly and clearly if I am doing something right. We then parted ways.

Violation: Willfully withholding information
Challan fine: Rs 500

Kudos to you and the policeman. People like you both are the real VVIPs of our nation and if most of us were like that, our country would be a much better place!

[JojyKerala]

In the single-laned highways of Kerala, I regularly give way to KSRTCs, ambulances and MLAs after hearing their honking/sirens.

Last week, I noticed an Innova with a red board in my rear-view mirror honking to give way. I gave way expecting it to be an MLA or State Board member. Turned out to be someone else - the red board stated "Grama Panchayath Member". That's the first time I saw such a board and thought to myself that a new breed of VIPs have been added to the list.

[Mechanto]

Originally Posted by GTO

One more bone of contention I have = yesterday, in BKC, I saw a Consulate Camry with dark tints all around. As we know, all these consulate cars run around with tinted glasses when they are very clearly banned in India. Heck, why? Do you think the USA will allow the Indian consulate car there to break local road / traffic rules?

Not just consulate cars, if you can stick a Lawyer sticker on your windshield, you are allowed to have tinted glasses. No offense to any lawyers here, but sadly this is the state of Indian traffic rules.

You can mend rules by person, by vehicle type or by the locality. You are a VIP, your convoy can break the rules, you have a political party flag, you can have tinted glass or avoid paying toll. Similarly, you ride a two wheeler, you can ride the wrong way or violate one-ways. Heck - I have seen many Police vehicles violate red lights.

Unfortunately, traffic rules are only for the common public. You violate a red signal unintentionally, you will be caught and fined. And YES, we teach our children to OBEY TRAFFIC RULES!

[COMMUTER]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

Here in India like other conflict ridden states like East Africa, North Korea, etc, our leaders lives is in constant threat. Very recently there was an assassination attempt on our beloved PM's life when his convoy was stopped on a bridge and he was vulnerable to rocket fire. Every politician or govt official is a representative of our country and his life is valuable and needs to be protected by a convoy.

I wish to disagree with this false narrative of the media which is putting the nation's standing in bad light to the world. PM himself chose to drive past the place. Had there been a danger of Pakistan targeting his car so easily at that location, would he himself have chosen to be driven down in a limo, albeit it being decently armoured? Wouldn't he have been theoretically under greater peril when he chose to celebrate with our troops on the volatile border?

He was under the iron blanket of the special protection group, if he had considered himself to be under threat even when
being protected by such elite and powerful a force, he would not have decided to go near the public when protected by them.

If a VIP is afraid of public, it is a serious shortcoming and must have made him have second thoughts about choosing the path of public service. All VIPs must stick to the rules of the nation and must get fined or impounded when breaking them.

[Karthik.guru]

I was thinking about this very topic just yesterday!
We were on our way back to Chennai from our hometown and were passed by at-least 2 dozen such "VIPs" throughout our ~500km journey. Innovas, Fortuners and a few Prados, all with private registration plates and a political flag fluttering on their bonnets, weaving in and out of lanes doing over 120kmph honking and bullying other motorists to get out of their way. I was immediately reminded of something I had read many years ago in a book by George Orwell.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than the others"

[fawad0222]

Rule of Law has changed into Rule of Ruler. Its so unfortunate and depressing when we experience such things. Its not only the traffic problems but there is a clear need of an effective implementation of laws by strong and sincere enforcement which in turn needs sincere, honest officers and politicians. I believe, it will take another 50 years before we hope to see such a change. Till then, its better to take a smart, not necessarily avoidance decision depending on the many factors prevailing at that moment. I mean BE PROACTIVE BUT BE IN PRESENT.

[Geo_Ipe]

Not exactly a post on traffic violation, but one on VVIP culture. People worried about VVIP kin without number plates, just look at this 'number plate'!

(As received on WhatsApp)

[manmeetd]

Originally Posted by wildsdi5530

What the OP did was threatening the life of the unknown civil servant. He should be grateful that he is not behind bars for the assassination attempt and putting our leaders at risk.

Love the sarcasm here. I really hope you're being sarcastic.

[xrules]

What I feel to be honest, not just VVIPs but most Indians have been trained to not follow rules. May be by our parents or kin growing up. Most people in my society are super educated, higher middle class with their BMWs, Audis drive on the wrong side of the road to enter into the society to avoid a 50m U-turn. In the city I have even witnessed cars with TBHP stickers on the wrong side/rash driving (I sincerely hope they are sold cars, or someone else driving the vehicle). Money may buy expensive cars, but not necessarily the common sense or discipline on the road. On the contrary with higher money (power) they dare more to break rules.

[buzzy_boy]

In Tamilnadu, there used to be a chief minister. When she travels via. road, they used to block every single road on the path to her destination - even if the path was multiple kilometres long. All I'm saying is, we pay (taxes) for our own subordination.