Very Common instance. You are out of your home and want to reach office in time. Usual rush and traffic. And you get to know roads are closed! Reason: President is visiting Pune city. For some obscure function. So?
So there are protocol and usual safety measures. And the common people and their travails and inconvenience - taken for granted - simple. It is your need to commute to the workplace. You have to literally find the way out to your destination.
The President of India if and when, wants or has to go to any place for work, inauguration, meetings or just like that, is accompanied by 75 vehicles.
The President of India uses a Mercedes Benz 500 SEL (W126) and with the national emblem on the license plate, while the Prime Minister uses a B5-level 2007 armored BMW 7 Series. Both are escorted by the SPG in Tata Safari and Mahindra jeeps.There are doctors comprising the medical team for unforeseen emergencies.For the CMs, Cabinet Ministers and others the convoy is still big with some variations in the number of vehicles and Medical teams.
I feel people have forgotten. The Bombay High Court in Feb. 2011 had questioned as to why VIPs, right from President to the Ministers of State and Mayors, use roads during rush hour causing undue hardship and inconvenience to the general public.
And President's office had specified that after the court remarks several measures will be taken to avoid embarrassment as much as possible. Henceforth President’s convoy size would be scaled down by replacing few cars with mini-buses.
However main reason remains to be the threat perception to the lives of VIPs. The High Court also had observed that there are SPG and commando for protection.
More relevant point is The High Court commented that the Traffic Department can arrange all the flow of traffic and roads in such a way that there is less hardship for the general public.
It is different matter that there is no significant change. Disgusting fact of the matter is that we live in a country where there are few VIPs and VVIPs who gloat about their security. It is sort of status symbol for them that they are different than common people and they would show off.
Bye the way, the budgetary allocation in 2011 for the elite (SPG) Special Protect Group, which guards the Prime Minister and certain other VIPs, is Rs 279 crore. And the budgetary allocations at the state levels are on the same lines. Certainly there is some expenditure on vehicles, fuel and their maintenance.
It is not that these should be changed drastically. However there has to be a judicious balance.
