Truck owners accuse previous govt of hiding weighbridge order

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Commercial Truck Owners and Operators Association has alleged that the previous state government misled the National Green Tribunal on setting up of integrated check posts instead of weighbridges.
In a statement to the media on Tuesday, the association’s Taiphur Wardkhar said the Supreme Court on November 6 last year said the state should install integrated check posts and do away with stand-alone weighbridges. It also directed the chief secretary to be the nodal officer in the matter and take decision accordingly. “With the policy of the state government to set up integrated check posts, the Transport Department does not have the power to issue permission for setting up weighbridges anymore,” he said.
The previous government “concealed facts about the order passed by the top court” and the Transport Department on various occasions sought permission from the Tribunal to set up weighbridges at various points, he alleged. “The illegal weighbridges set up by the previous government caught the limelight in the media for all the wrong reasons and this has caused lots of hardships and difficulties for the members. Hence, we are left with no choice but to inform the Tribunal about the illegal act of the previous government in concealing the Supreme Court’s order simply to get the exit route and serve its vested interest,” Wardkhar said.
He further said a few miners from Jaintia Hills and other parts of the state had filed applications claiming that some quantity of coal need to be assessed and transport permission be granted.