JACTSETTA writes to Conrad against ‘illegal’ weighbridges along national highways

Shillong, Sep 1: The Joint Action Committee of Truckers, Suppliers, Exporters, Traders and Transporters Association (JACTSETTA), has written to the state government over the presence of weighbridges along the National Highways passing through the state.

According to the association weighbridges have been set up at several locations in NH 6 and NH 40E which has become a “real pain” in their journey.

“Every time we had to pass through these weighbridges we were forced to shed a huge sum of money which is otherwise meant for our survival during the course of our work. At times we had to stay hungry for few days as we used to run out of money because of these weighbridges,” the association in a letter to Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said.

The JACTSETTA said that to add salt to their wounds, all these weighbridges are declared illegal by the Government of India and it is totally against the existence of such illegal weighbridges in the NH 6 and NH 40E.

According to the association it is universally known that the National Highways are properties of the Central Government and it is governed by a separate act known as National Highways Act which is totally under the Centre.

“The provisions of overloading and its prevention including penalties etc are clearly spelled out in the act especially in the Toll Highway. There is nowhere in the act that empower the officers of the Transport Department in state to meddle with the business of National Highway,” the JACTSETTA stated.

According to the association any structure built along the Highway without the approval of the competent authority which is the Ministry of Surface Road Transport and Highways will be deemed to be illegal and not permissible in law.

“The act which the state made under the MV Act to cover up these illegal weighbridges is not valid at all as the highways are covered by the National Highway Act and the power to enforce the act is with the Central Government and not with the state of Meghalaya,” JACTSETTA stated.

Requesting the state government not to force them to be part of these illegalities by asking them to pay to the illegal weighbridges, the JACTSETTA appealed to the Chief Minister to immediately shut them down.