Do you think that making a way for a hurrying ambulance is a great achievement? If you are in traffic and you hear an ambulance siren, you will give way to the vehicle, right?
It’s not an achievement, but it’s considered as responsibility and common sense from human’s side, isn’t it? We don’t treat that as an achievement. Making a way to an ambulance is the most vital and common road etiquette.
It is a given that ambulance and fire engines and vehicles with the red emergency sirens ON are supposed to be made way for, no matter how heavy the traffic is on the road.
While the ‘VIP culture’ in India has previously shown records of how many people on roads are affected due to VIPs’ cars and convoys blocking roads and restricting traffic movements, this is unarguably a welcome thing, from Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah.
But making way to an ambulance for Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah seems to agree with the ideology and he took to Twitter to post about how he too “allowed an ambulance to overtake his convoy”.
CM Siddaramaiah tweeted a video of the clean roads of Bengaluru, after praising the Bengaluru traffic police for prioritizing the movement of ambulances. But the words, if not chosen well, can prove fatal.
BTP stood by my instructions to prioritise the movmnt of ambulances against VIP convoys; today they allowed an ambulance overtake my convoy pic.twitter.com/zRDtTAb9xK
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) May 21, 2017
If one tweet hitting himself on the back on how he “allowed” the ambulance to go wasn’t enough, the CM went on to retweet a post by the police on the same thing.
Hosmat Hosp Ambulance carrying an emergency patient was given precedence & allowed to overtake @CMofKarnataka convoy with their concurrence pic.twitter.com/OC1z9SGyxv
— DCP Traffic East (@DCPTrEastBCP) May 21, 2017
As soon as the CM posted the video on his Twitter handle, it did not take much time for Twitter users to rip his post apart.
not sure y r u projecting this as some thing great u did. u only corrected yr earlier mistakes and we look forward to see in the future also
— I CHANGE HEMMIGEPURA (@hemmigepura) May 22, 2017
it’s right of ambulance to get priority. It’s so sad n pathetic that they get it only on ur instructions. Bad leadership
— Ramnath Kini (@RamnathKini2) May 21, 2017
When common sense is boasted upon.. Why do you need a convoy? Take a bus to wherever you are going.. You want public to do it? pic.twitter.com/tH7EpprjdU
— Jeba (@Jeba) May 22, 2017
Good Mr.CM, but will the same gesture continue even with your ministers and PA’s.Or is this is just another election gimmick.
— chandrashekhar (@ftechnosys) May 21, 2017
Today is the first time you did this.. 👏🏻👏👏
Are you looking for an award for this ?— 🅰️ N O N. ᴵᴺ (@War0nStupidity) May 21, 2017
Not a big deal, as a chief minister its your primary duty to put citizen’s requirements before your convoy
— Navarathna (@Navarathna) May 22, 2017
@CMofKarnataka Dis s too much of self praise.Wat u show as a great achievmnt, luks like a mock https://t.co/dYx5g4pPO3 cultur s indigestibl. pic.twitter.com/cOmTuy4AG3
— Rajani NAIR (@RajaniNAIR08) May 23, 2017
What do U mean by ALLOWED?? Do u mean all these days u had dissallowed??
— AdiYogi (@shiv_g_g) May 21, 2017
Sir, this is basic courtesy you have to show as human, please don’t share this as achievement..
— Jayashree Sharma (@mejayashree) May 21, 2017
Welcome to election year
— Kaushal Jain (@kaushal_shah89) May 21, 2017
🙏respect for this , Can the BTP do this without instructions ? please make this a protocol rather than following instructions . @CPBlr
— Rakesh.MK (@rakheelol) May 21, 2017
Our honourable CM of Karnataka just posted an achievement of his. pic.twitter.com/z5Sv60D13p
— Sandeep M Shetty (@sandeepmshetty) May 21, 2017
Old Airport Road. Nah, it’s never this clear. Was done for this great man himself.
— Zoohive (@MysteryFlour) May 21, 2017
We do it daily… U did first time in life I guess
— amar 🇮🇳 (@imamarsagar) May 21, 2017
WOW. Great achievement! You deserve a NOBLE Peace Prize for this!
— Rohit Bhat (@iRohitBhat) May 21, 2017
So this is a big achievement haan? Come on it’s basic common sense to give ambulance priority!
— ಭುತಾಳ ಪಾಂಡ್ಯ (@shetty_shailesh) May 21, 2017
In June 2016, a video showing an ambulance being stopped to allow Siddaramaiah’s convoy to pass through went viral, drawing criticism for the VIP culture in the society. This repeated again this year on May 4, when the traffic police restricted traffic for the CM’s convoy to pass near Town Hall. This was when Siddaramaiah issued the orders to not stop ambulances for the movement of VIP convoys.
What do you say about CM Siddaramaiah making way to an ambulance? Do you treat it as an achievement? Share your views with us in the comments section below.