Bangalore: The January 15 deadline for changing films on car windshields and side windows is fast approaching. While the police claim to have tested the widows of nearly 3,000 vehicles over the past week and advised those who needed to change their shades, the car dealers and accessories sellers are yet to get the flood of orders they expected.

The police, who use an imported light meter to test the shades of car windows, have stipulated that the front and rear windshields should have 75 per cent transparency and the side windows, at least 50 per cent. The police swung into action to enforce this existing rule after the murder of a woman call centre employee. The idea was that what happened inside a vehicle should not go unnoticed by the police just because the windows were opaque.

The owners of a car or sports utility vehicle will have to pay up to Rs. 300 to get the existing film on the windows removed and Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 3,500 for getting new film. In the case of larger sports utility vehicles the cost of changing the shades will be even more because they have more windows, accessories dealers say. "We need to remove the existing film carefully to avoid scratches on the glass and then fix the new film with equal care, that is why it costs so much,'' they explain. Coated film of 3M is what has been approved and transport departments, they add.

Dealers for Ford, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Toyota say only some customers have approached them yet for getting the window shades changed. Many are unsure what should be the kind of new shades to be fixed, the dealers say.

Car and sports utility vehicle owners too have mixed feelings about the rule to be enforced. For many women drivers it is a matter of privacy and security, especially if they are out driving alone at night. For others, it is a question of security; expensive music systems and other accessories may too be easily visible and attract thieves, when the vehicles are left behind in a parking lot.

Many vehicle owners also suggest that the police hold meetings to convince them why the new rules are necessary and whether having clear windows and windscreens is going to really help in crime prevention.

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