City sees a 60 per cent rise in cases of overloaded trucks.
By Shubhangi Mathur
The number of trucks booked for overloading in Karnataka has increased in the last two years. Over 4000 more cases have been registered in 2018-19, as compared to 2017-18.
Data provided by the Office of the Commissioner for Transport and Road Safety shows that the number of cases booked for overloading of trucks in 2017-18 was 7251 which has increased to 11,521 in 2018-19, a 58.88 per cent increase.
The Additional Commissioner for Transport, Uma Shankar said, “The drivers pack their trucks with a surplus load because they get paid 20 per cent more for carrying extra weight. The police check the trucks and the extra weight is unloaded from the trucks and shifted to another vehicle. Attibele and Bagapelli are the main checkpoints near Bangalore.”The Motor Vehicle Act states that vehicles with single axle and four tyres should carry a maximum of 11,500 kg weight.
A truck driver, Uday Kumar said, “The drivers do that for earning extra income. If any driver refuses to carry the extra load some one else would take the opportunity. They often pay fines. Sometimes the trucks are also involved in accidents due to excess weight.”
Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill, 2019 states that the fine charged will depend on the extra weight being carried. If the vehicle is carrying 0-20 per cent extra weight, the fine will be twice the toll fee. If the vehicle is carrying 20-40 per cent extra weight, four times the toll fee and so on.
The records provided by the Office of the Commissioner for Transport and Road Safety shows that the fine collected in 2018-19 is around Rs. 11 crores and in the previous year, it had collected Rs. 9.88 crore.
Experts say the overloaded trucks damage the roads.
Dr. V Ramesh, Head of Department,Civil Engineering, Rajarajeshwari Engineering College, said, “The roads are designed to carry a certain amount of load; if the vehicles will be overloaded, it causes damage to the roads. Either the government should improve the roads or should work on reducing the amount of load being carried.”
