Exclusive – Bribe for free-pass: Weighbridge nexus of Meghalaya transport dept. unearthed

By Our Special Correspondent

A major weighbridge nexus operating in the state across the national highway (NH-6) has been unearthed where truck drivers and sources in the transport department have stated that officials of the department seek bribes from overloaded trucks to steer them clear of having to undergo the weighbridge check.

The revelation comes at a time with Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari having stated in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that four out of five weighbridges operating along the NH-6 in Meghalaya are illegal, a concern which brings under the scanner the role of state’s transport department, headed by minister Sniawbhalang Dhar.

Meghalaya parliamentarian Vincent Pala also demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

“Some senior officials are a party to this nexus and they make immense money out of it. I am aware that the transport minister has been told about this on at least two occasions. But we have not seen any action till date. The ones that are making illegal money continue to do so,” a source told The Northeast Today (TNT).

“For them (the officials) it is feasible to ask for the bribe without letting the trucks go over the weighbridge, because it stays off the official records and the trucks end up paying lesser money as compared to the fine for overloading,” the source added.

The revenue loss from the non-collection of weighbridge fees has been previously highlighted by the CAG report, tabled in the Assembly in 2019, which cited that an amount of Rs. 2.18 crore was lost in revenue for the state government due to the Transport Department not collecting the requisite amount.

“Every now and then we are told that a new notification has come out according to which our trucks are apparently overweight. How will we know and who will tell us? We don’t even know if they are saying the truth or taking advantage of the fact that we are not so educated,” Neeraj Bhaggu*, a regular truck driver along NH-6, said.

“I have been asked to pay up to Rs. 5,000 as a bribe. I did refuse to pay many times but they said that in case I refuse, they will declare my truck as overweight and I will have to pay a penalty. They have done it for the other truck drivers as well, where even if the trucks were not overweight, they declared them overweight just to prove a point,” another truck driver, Karnjeet Singh* said.

Singh also mentioned that the transport department involved a few policemen in the nexus, who would harass the truck drivers along with the department’s officials.

The problem of overloaded trucks being cleared has also caused a lot of damage to the public infrastructure of the state. 

In March this year, the Bailey Bridge at Dwar Ksuid was inaugurated by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong. However, just two weeks after inauguration, the bridge started developing cracks due to overloaded trucks plying through the bridge despite the presence of a weighbridge.

The damages have also been reiterated by Gadkari where he said in the Lok Sabha that the construction of weighbridges, which are functioning in an unauthorised manner, are causing damage to the highway, which has also led to the problem of waterlogging many times.

Gadkari said that the matter was brought to the notice of the transport department many times.

However, minister Sniawbhalang stayed in denial on the same, adding that none of the weighbridges were illegal.

*name changed on request

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