Samajwadi party government takes blue off traffic police's uniform

LUCKNOW: In yet another move to wipe out the 'signs' of the BSP rule, the SP government on Monday decided to change the colour of traffic cops' uniform - from blue to khaki trousers. The white shirts, however, will remain the same. The change will come into effect from July 1.
Announcing the decision to change the uniform of the traffic police, inspector general (crime) BP Singh said that change in uniform should not be seen through the lens of politics.He said a committee constituted for the purpose had proposed the change as the present uniform resembled that of a private security agencies creating confusion. "Khakhi, which is also colour of police department, has been introduced as it would have similarity with the force," he added.
The UP traffic police had an all-white uniform till the BSP government came to power in 2007 and ordered to replace the white trousers by blue on April 1, 2008. It was said that owing to increasing pollution, maintaining a neat and clean uniform remained a headache for cops, particularly those manning the traffic at busy intersections amid clouds of black smoke emanating from the exhaust of the automobiles plying on city roads. Hence an informal request for change in color of traffic police uniform was taken up with the BSP government by the department bosses. The BSP government made the best of the opportunity and notified the new traffic cops' uniform as 'white shirts and blue trousers'.
As blue happens to be the official color of the BSP, the change led to an uproar by the opposition parties which accused the BSP government of politicizing the police force. The Samajwadi Party called it a stunt to promote the color of the ruling BSP. Interestingly, the colour of Bahujan Volunteer Force (BVF) uniform was also the same. Taking a dig at the BSP government's move to change the colour of traffic cops' uniform, SP leader Rajendra Chaudhary had stated that it would become difficult for the common man to differentiate between a traffic constable and a BSP worker.
Coming after chief minister Akhilesh Yadav terminating as many as 26 different schemes and projects launched by the Mayawati regime, the change in uniform is sure to come as a handle for the BSP to repeat its allegations that the SP government was resorting to political vendetta.