Car accessory store owners in the city are now in a quandary. Despite ban, the car owners are thronging the stores asking for black films, thanks to summer heat soaring up to an unbearable 42 degree celsius in the city. Sun pads that can give a respite from the heat also have been declared illegal by the traffic police.
Recently, the traffic police seized as many as 10,000 of these shades from various shops in the city. “When we caught a few of these sellers recently we also got to know the source. To avoid detection, many sellers store them at far off places from the city. We seized some 10,000 of them during checks,” informed additional commissioner of police, traffic, CV Anand.
“We get so many customers every day asking for tints but, we are helpless. In spite of many representations by the Car Owners Association to the traffic police and the court, there has been no response,” said Anand Gupta, owner of Car Sonics, a car accessory store on Minister road.
Tanveer Ahmed, a student, says that many like him are distraught due to the inefficiency of the AC in their cars. “We can’t really change the windows as they are very expensive. The traffic police should give some leeway in summer,” he said, claiming that in cities like Bangalore and Chennai, cars are allowed to apply black films on the glass as per the RTA norms.
“In fact, this ban and heat have only increased the black marketting of the tinted glass and sun pads. Those who can afford do not mind paying challan occasionally and the shop owners are more than happy to make a few extra bucks, by charging them much more than the usual price,” revealed P Ganesh, a worker at an accessory store near Lower Tankbund.
Asked if there was a chance of granting some concession, Anand said that it would result in contempt of the Supreme Court order. “In fact, that ban has resulted in a reduction of accidents, and greater visibility for drivers during night,” he asserted.
However, a senior traffic official on condition of anonymity apprised that constables tend to ignore if they find car owners using sun shades. “The traffic cops understand the problem and the owners may get spared for two months,” he says.
