JOWAI: The District Administration and the Transport Department in West Jaintia Hills have been found wanting in performing their duties of keeping a check on over-loaded trucks plying on the National Highway NH-44 and NH-40 (E) which are violating the Supreme Court order restriction of load capacity.
Almost all coal laden trucks transporting coal from East Jaintia Hills District to Bangladesh via Tamabil are carrying coal beyond the permissible load limit.
A staff of the Transport Department deployed at the Departmental Weighbridge at Hynniawmer (7th Mile) confirmed that trucks carrying coal to Bangladesh are carrying load between 20 to 25 metric tons.
Sources said, earlier, some Magistrates used to conduct checking on overloaded coal laden trucks but now they have stopped and all trucks are allowed to ply with load capacity beyond 20 metric tons which is beyond the load permitted by the Supreme Court.
It may be mentioned here that the Government has been very quick to respond to the Supreme Court order banning tinted glass on vehicles, but the implementation of another verdict of the apex court – restricting the load carried by trucks is very irregular, particularly for coal laden truck plying to Tamabil.
Every day, one can witness hundreds of coal laden truck transporting coal to Tamabil via Dawki parked on the roadside, at the 8th Mile Petrol Pump and at the Weighbridge of the Transport Department itself.
“They are allowed to scale or weigh their load of coal only after 9 pm in normal days except during the night road blockade when the timing is 7 pm,” a source said, adding that it was the decision taken by the district administration not to allow any truck to cross Iawmusiang area before 9 pm for public convenience.
It may be mentioned here that in May, 2012, the Jaintia Coal-Cement Trucks and Drivers’ Association (JCCTDA) had threatened to take the State Government to the Supreme Court over non-implementation of the order restricting the load capacity carried by trucks.
However, most of these members, who supply coal to Bangladesh, have now been indulging in open violation of the Supreme Court order, sources revealed.