Ranchi, June 7: If your car has tinted glasses or black film pasted on the windows, have them changed.

The transport department maintains that tinted windows are banned and those having them will be fined, vehicle owners, both private and government, are flouting the rule with impunity.

Many claimed they were unaware of any such rule banning the use of tinted glasses.

What is surprising is that the cars of VIPs, such as the home minister, departmental secretaries and senior police officials, also have black windows, though there is an executive order banning them.

Joint transport commissioner Virendra Ram said: ?There is an executive order to this effect, which was passed even before the formation of Jharkhand. It states that black glasses, be it tinted or films, cannot be pasted on the windows of a vehicle. If caught, one can be fined up to a sum of Rs 100 in case of a first offence and the penalty will increase if he is caught again.?

District transport officer (DTO) Shivendra Singh said the rule was introduced through an executive order to check crimes and make it easier for the police to sight their prey.

?The order applies to both private owners and the government. It was passed to ensure checking crime and also to help the police identify criminals. The traffic department is supposed to check this,? he said.

But a visit to the Jharkhand Assembly, Project Building and Nepal House revealed that most government cars had dark-coloured windows.

Tourism secretary S.K. Chowdhary said: ?It is not a tinted glass. My car has a thin black film on it. I have not given it much thought. The driver must have installed it and if he does not know about the order, it is not my responsibility.?

Surprisingly, traffic superintendent Suma Gupta too was ignorant about the order. ?I do not know about any such thing and would not like to comment.?

Senior superintendent of police Anurag Gupta too was unaware of the rule. ?It may be a traffic infringement but not a violation of the law,? he said.

The private vehicle owners, however, blamed the scorching sun and said: ?It is so hot that the sun can pierce your eyes. A black film at least prevents the sun?s rays from entering inside. I did not know whether there was any such orders,? said Sanjay.

A few months ago, the police, during a surprise drive, had cracked down and ordered cars to remove black glasses.

The officer-in-charge of Chutia police station, who had launched this drive, said: ?We had received orders from our seniors about this. We had stopped every vehicle having black glasses and told them to remove them, or else they would be fined. But that was then. Now helmet checking is our priority. We are not resuming that drive as yet,? he said.