The state government is likely to formulate special guidelines against usage of tinted glasses on car windshields and rear windows in the wake of the Supreme Court’s order banning the use of tinted glass on cars.
“There is a special clause in the Central Motor Vehicle Act prescribing norms for glasses of windscreens in cars regarding visual light transmission enabling others to see the interior of a car from outside, but it has not been strictly implemented in Tamil Nadu,” said a senior official in the transport department.
The norms were strictly imposed by Chennai Police a few years ago, but only for a short time, he said.
The Supreme Court on Friday banned the use of tinted glass that restricting vision more than the limit fixed under the Motor Vehicles Act.
The court passed the order on a plea seeking complete ban on use of dark films on car windows, including vehicles used by VVIPs, alleging that people using cars with tinted windows committed many crimes in cities.
The Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, say the glasses of windscreens and rear windows of vehicles should have a visual light transmission of 70 per cent and for side windows it should be at least 50 per cent.
The official said that in a few cars windshields are designed in such a way that interiors were lightly visible from outside, while most of the car buyers have a tendency to stick ‘sun control films’ on their cars, soon after buying cars.
However, most of the transport department officials were unaware of the Friday order of the Supreme Court.
“We will be able to comment only after having a look on the Supreme Court’s order,” said an official.
The order has not gone down well with a few car owners.
“We had faced problems quite often while travelling with women family members at traffic signals where a few miscreants made obscene gestures, prompting us to stick sun-control films,” opined R. Raju, a car owner.
“We do not deny that a few crimes happen in such cars, but it is not that all the cars would be involved in such criminal activities,” he said.
Several owners echoed his view