Help at hand
Shillong, Aug 9 : The Meghalaya government will put up only two authorised weighbridges in East Garo Hills to check the harassment of truckers plying on National Highway 62.
The decision came after the Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court directed the state government to have only authorised weighbridges along the national highway, which connects East Garo Hills and South Garo Hills.
East Garo Hills deputy commissioner Pravin Bakshi today said the All Northeast Commercial Truck Owners and Operators Association had filed a writ petition before the Shillong bench of the high court. The order passed was in favour of the truckers’ association.
The president of the All Northeast Commercial Truck Owners and Operators Association, Augustine Shanpru, stated in his writ petition that the truckers faced harassment at the weighbridges.
Moreover, the illegal tax collection from the truckers at various weighbridges or checkgates also indirectly resulted in a rise in the prices of goods and commodities.
The deputy commissioner said according to a court order, one weighbridge will be located at the entry point of the trucks at Dobu in East Garo Hills and another at the exit point at Depasarangma in the same district.
The trucks will be weighed at these points and obtain the slips before departure.
“I have passed an order on Friday to shut down other weighbridges in the district,” Bakshi said, adding that only two weighbridges, one at Dobu and another at Depasarangma, run by the transport department, will be the official ones. He said after the recent court order, a weighbridge at Wageasi in East Garo Hills, run by the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), was shut down by the district administration.
The district administration is also dismantling other weighbridges manned by the state directorate of mineral resources in the district.
Shanpru said the order to have only two weighbridges on the national highway was passed by Justice T. Vaiphei.
“I handed over the copies of the order to chief minister Mukul Sangma and the government officials for necessary action,” he said.
The chief minister, at a meeting with all the deputy commissioners and the superintendents of police of all the three districts of Garo hills in Tura on Saturday, had asked them to adhere to the court order.
The officials said the chief minister wanted them to ensure that no illegal weighbridges operated along the highway.
A detailed and comprehensive order under Section 144 had been issued on June 14 to stop all illegal collection of money and extortion by checkgates, individuals, NGOs and road construction workers.