Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Apr 19:

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik this evening did away with the red beacon atop his official vehicle exactly 11 days before the Union Cabinet’s decision to ban the use of red beacon comes into effect from May 1.

Sources said the Chief Minister left for his residence Naveen Nivas from the State Secretariat without the red beacon atop his official vehicle and ordered all his Ministers to do so with immediate effect.

The Union government today announced that no red beacons would be allowed on official vehicles from May 1.

A decision to this effect was taken at a Union Cabinet meeting presided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“From May 1 no one in the country would be able to have red beacons atop official vehicles. There will be no exceptions,” Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters in New Delhi.

Jaitley also said that a rule which gives the Centre and state governments the right to use blue beacons with flasher have also been changed.

“Only defined emergency services will be allowed to carry blue beacons with flasher,” Jaitley said