Truckers allege extortion at EJH check gates, seek govt’s help

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Operators Association (MCTOOA) have asked the State Government to take action against a Government check gate in East Jaintia Hills, which is allegedly indulging in extortion from trucks.
In a petition to the Commissioner of Transport, the president of the Association, Augutine Shanpru said that truckers, who are regularly transporting goods through Jaintia Hills regions, are facing difficulties due to the presence of several government weighbridges in the same route.
He said that on the Silchar – Shillong highway, first trucks have to weigh at Rtacherra weighbridge, then Umtyra weighbridge and then followed by 7th Mile weighbridge.
“In the recent times, the biggest problem which we are facing is the dual weighment of same goods in a very short distance in between Umtyra weighbridge and 7th mile weighbridge.
The owner of Umtyra weighbridge is charging Rs 500 to 1500 from every truck whereas they are authorised to collect only Rs 200 from each truck as weighment fee,” Shanpru said.
Alleging that the owner of the weighbridge never issue any receipt or slip for the illegal money collected from the trucks, Shanpru said that the trucks, which have already been weighed at Umtyra weighbridge, upon reaching the 7th mile weighbridge, are weighed again.
However, those vehicles which have the weighment slip to show that they have already weighed at Umtyra, no weighment fee is collected from them at 7th mile and the verification is done in the presence of the uniformed officials.
He however claimed that irrespective of the trucks weighed or not weighed at 7th mile Weighbridge.
The owner of the Umtyra weighbridge are uniformly extorting the illegal amount from the trucks whenever they were made to pass through the Umtyra Weighbridge.
The Association has asked the Government to issue necessary instruction to the Umtyra weighbridge by way of Public Notice not to extort exorbitant weighment fee from truckers, who have already weighed in other Transport Department weighbridges.