This ramshackle truck with the number plate hanging by a thread and belching out black smoke was spotted on the Laitkor road. It had come from Shillong city and was carrying stones. Should the DTO’s office not do a physical test check of old vehicles to see if they are road worthy? Where is the surprise check by the Pollution Control Board to test whether the emission levels of vehicles that ply in the city are within permissible limits. Such vehicles often break down in the middle of the road and add to the traffic jams. (ST)