No check on vehicles exceeding load limit

Rajiv Mahajan 

The government has failed to enforce the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) that prescribes maximum weight load limit for public transport vehicles on the highway at the inter-state Kandwal barrier in Nurpur. 

Under the Act, the maximum permissible weight limit for trucks having six tyres has been fixed at 9 tons, which was revised by the government of India to 11 tons for multi-axel vehicles. 

As per the provisions of the MVA, offenders are supposed to be fined Rs 1,000 per ton, above the permissible limit, besides unloading extra goods on the barriers. The public transport vehicles entering the state from different barriers have been violating the permissible limit with impunity. The plying of overloaded transport vehicles are causing damage to the road surface, polluting the environment through auto-emissions and causing revenue loss to the state exchequer. 

Apart from this, the overloaded public carriage vehicles have become safety hazards not only for themselves, but for other road users on the Pathankot- Mandi National Highway as well. 

There is no check on overloaded transport vehicles on the inter-state barriers in the state, especially in Kangra district, which has emboldened habitual offenders. Interestingly, a local advocate and resident of Suliali village, Sumesh Sharma had filed a Civil Writ Petition (CWP) in the state High Court against the state government for its failure to enforce a maximum permissible weight limit on public transport carriages over 12 years ago. The High Court while disposing of the CWP on April 11, 2007, ordered the principal secretary Excise and Taxation and Director General Police, Shimla, to ensure that no public transport vehicle violate the maximum load weight limit. The HC had also directed the state authorities to provide mechanical devices at entry points in the state. But the successive governments have failed to adhere to the directions of the HC. 

Manoj Sharma, Assistant Regional Transport Officer, Kandwal, said the government had acquired private land for installing weighing bridge at the Kandwal inter-state barrier in 2008, but the landowner moved the High Court for the enhancement of compensation. “After a long legal battle, this land was transferred in the name of state Transport Department and now, the department has applied for No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Forest and Horticulture Departments. As and when NOCs are procured, the department will install weighing bridge on the barrier,” he said, adding that overloading in transport vehicles was being estimated at present. 

The fallouts 

• The plying of overloaded transport vehicles cause damage to the road surface, pollutes environment through auto-emissions and cause revenue loss to the state exchequer 
• Apart from this, the overloaded public carriage vehicles have become safety hazards not only for themselves, but for other road users on the Pathankot- Mandi National Highway as well