The Hindu Business Line : Efforts to curb overloading

The All India Confederation of Goods Vehicles Owners’ Association (AICOGOA) has sought the help of the Prime Minister, after having failed to make the authorities concerned see merit in any serious effort to curb overloading of goods vehicles. Even the Supreme Court order in this regard has failed to yield the intended results. The State-level organisations responsible for checking overloading, it is alleged, are flouting the Court order with impunity. Worse, the ove rloaded vehicles are being allowed to get away on payment of ‘fines’, in most cases unofficially. The damage to roads caused by overloading is enormous and that too at a time when the Government is spending fortunes, over Rs 6 crore per kilometre, on construction of super highways to facilitate road transportation of goods. The overloaded vehicles are more prone to accidents causing loss of human life, in addition to throwing up a host of other problems too well-known to all.

The AICOGOA wonders if the axle-load limit as prescribed by the Government has any sanctity. The limit should better be scrapped if overloading continues, it is seriously felt.

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