THE weigh bridges put up at different entry and exit points of the State to check overloading of coal and other items that are transported outside or are imported in have turned the entire transaction into a big farce. Going by the records at these weigh bridges, none of the trucks are overloaded. So no truck actually pays the requisite fee for overloading although all of them carry more than the prescribed load. The check gate at Umling for instance is run by a politician-businessman who authorises collection of a flat rate from each truck. This money naturally goes into the pocket of the politician. Hence the Government loses revenue from a potential source, since on a given day at least about two thousand trucks pass through this gate. There used to be more trucks earlier when the coal trade was at its peak. One reason for the depression in the coal trade is because Meghalaya coal is more expensive than coal from Malaysia and other places at the landing station. Hence many industries today prefer imported coal than the one coming from Meghalaya. And the reason for this steep price of coal is the amount that truck drivers have to keep paying all along the highway.
Meghalaya is a revenue deficit State heavily dependent on central funding for its development projects. During the tenure of the previous Government led by the same chief minister, the Assembly had authorised the Public Accounts Committee to enquire into the revenue collection from toll and check gates and also from weigh bridges and to give a report to the Assembly. While some members of the Committee had leaked bits and pieces of information to the media, the report submitted by the PAC to the Assembly has not been made public as yet. The purpose of a PAC is to check revenue leakage and to recommend solutions for plugging such leakage. It is unfortunate that the members of that Committee, three of whom have been re-elected to this legislature, have been rather silent on this issue. One can understand the Government trying to keep this information on revenue leakage a closely guarded secret but why would members of the opposition also collude in this?
Considering that politicians have never taken their role in the PAC seriously it is important for civil society groups to come forward and unearth this scam. We cannot afford to lose revenue due to corruption and negligence.
