Meghalaya: Setting up of weighbrides as per central govt's norms, clarifies Transport officials
The justification from the Transport Department came a day after Union Minister of road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari told the Lok Sabha that only one weighbridge in Meghalaya along NH-6 has been granted permission for functioning and any other bridges operating in the state on the highway are currently unauthorised.
By Daiaphira Kharsati
SHILLONG:
Officials of the Meghalaya Transport department on Friday maintained that weighbridges in the state were set up as per the rules of the central government.
The justification from the Transport Department came a day after Union Minister of road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari told the Lok Sabha that only one weighbridge in Meghalaya along NH-6 has been granted permission for functioning and any other bridges operating in the state on the highway are currently unauthorised.
The operation of illegal weighbridges in the state have raised concerns, bringing under the scanner the Transport Department of the state headed by Sniawbhalang Dhar.
"We are following the rules of the central government by setting up (weighbridges). Only transport department is authorised to detain the vehicle and check them,” secretary of Transport department Israel Ingty told reporters on Friday.
“The CMV 1988 permits the state government to make rules and to ensure that the permissible load is carried by all good laden vehicles. Section 113 and 114 also allow the state government to detain the vehicle which is carrying overload and to penalise those which are overloaded," he clarified.
According to him, state roads are managed and controlled by the state government and the department sets up weighbridges in the state road and by putting up the weighbridges, the national highways are free from overload.
Under fire, Transport Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar said that there is a transparent tender system that has been floated by the state government and it was allotted as per the norms and procedure of the transport department.
According to him, the State Transport Department has identified tendered and setup checkpoint-Cum-integrated weighbridges on state roads so as to ensure that permissible load is carried by all good laden vehicles which travel on state roads and finally move onto the national highway.
The Meghalaya Weighbridge Policy was formulated in the year 2018 whereby the Transport Department is a nodal department for installation, maintenance and setting up of weighbridges in the State.
The State Transport Department is authorised by the Government of India in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) to implement the provisions of the CMV ACT 1988.
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