The Meghalaya High Court has recently ordered the State government to take immediate action against vehicle overloading along the state’s major arterial routes.
A bench comprising of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice W. Diengdoh passed the orders while hearing a PIL relating to the movement of illegally mined coal in heavy vehicles without following the process specified under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 or the rules thereunder.
The bench observed at the start that, despite several reports submitted by the State, the petitioner maintains that little has been done to check vehicle overloading and that there has been no significant improvement in the situation.
The State government previously stated in its report before the bench that there were 16 operational weighbridges throughout the State and that the number of operational weighbridges would be raised to 23 by the end of this month. However, the bench highlighted that the State government has now submitted that only 19 weighbridges are operational, with another four scheduled to be made operational within the next two weeks.
The court also took note of the fact that in several areas of the state, heavy metal-bodied trucks carrying boulders and even sand were operating brazenly with no checks in place. Even in the absence of weighbridges, it is clear that such vehicles, sometimes without registration plates, do not adhere to the weight limits, and the local administration ignores these violations, the bench emphasized.
Pointing out the fact that certain pockets around Pynursla have become hubs for illegal transportation of boulders sand and timber to Bangadesh, the bench highlighted that, despite weight restrictions in place, not one of the thousand trucks parked in these areas adheres to them, raising serious concerns about public safety.
The bench observed that the situation is exacerbated by the fact that these overloaded vehicles, which are carrying massive boulders and timber, pose a significant risk to other road users. The boulders on top would inevitably shower behind them and smash any lesser vehicle or even kill pedestrians if they abruptly braked, the bench remarked.
“While there may have been some improvement in some of the goods vehicles covered, one suspects that the cover is more often used to conceal coal transportation than to ensure safety,” the bench stated.
The State government told the court that a blueprint had been prepared and that the cost of obtaining a set of electronic weigh-pads would be Rs. 27 lakhs. However, the court observed that, given the cost per kilometre of road construction, the State’s hilly terrain, and the nearly continuous rain that the State gets for nearly six months, there can be no excuse for not making adequate investment to combat the threat.
Furthermore, the court has ordered that the Superintendents of Police in all districts be made aware of the situation and properly told to check overloaded trucks based on their physical appearance. The bench reasoned that if such a drive is undertaken and some trucks are stopped and not allowed to continue without relieving the additional load, others may follow in line.
In the hopes that some actual steps would be done on the ground in this regard, the court ordered the State government to file a report when the matter appears next i.e., four weeks later on May 3, 2023.
