The Meghalaya High Court has directed the State government to file an affidavit with details on the way in which it plans to monitor the weight of all goods vehicles travelling on the roads and highways.
The High Court also directed that the weight of the goods together with the weight of the vehicles should be such that the constructed highway should be able to bear and potholes do not emerge as often or as quickly as they now do.
“The State says that there are weighbridges in place and declarations have to be furnished upon adhering to the prescribed limits. On the ground, however, it appears that only heavier trucks now ply on these roads. These heavy trucks lead to the wear and tear of the top surface and unless the weight in the trucks is controlled, they would lead to an earlier degradation of the surface of the road than warranted,” the division bench of the High Court observed while taking up a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Tennydard M. Marak.
The court also said that there do not appear to be many weighbridges between Shillong and Umiam or even between Umiam and Khanapara for any detailed examination of the weight of the trucks especially since most of the trucks are 16-wheelers or more and they are otherwise capable of carrying much greater weight than the limit prescribed by the State government.
“The monitoring and checking system should be revamped so as to ensure that all transporters adhere to the weight restrictions, if only to ensure the longevity of the roads. The State will file a further affidavit when the matter appears next a fortnight hence,” the High Court ordered while listing the matter for hearing on May 20.
