JAC demands govt to shut down all illegal weighbridges in Meghalaya

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaSeptember 1, 2021

Truckers under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Wednesday have demanded the state government to shut down all illegal weighbridges along the national highways in the state.

The JAC, also comprising the suppliers, exporters, traders and transporters’ associations, has also submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for his immediate intervention into the matter.

They have introduced themselves as those who are responsible for transporting food grains, and all the essential commodities from garments to medicines to building materials even to the remotest place in the country.

“We appeal to your good self to immediately shut down all such illegal weighbridges located along NH 6 and NH 40E duly mentioned by the Government of India,” the JAC wrote in the letter.

“We therefore request your kindness not to force us to be part of these illegalities by asking us to pay to these illegal weighbridges as this totally goes against the law and the spirit of the Indian Constitution,” it added.

Urging all concerns to say no to any illegality, the JAC said the weighbridges which are set up at several locations in NH 6 and NH 40E are “a real pain in our 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. To add salt to the wound, all these weighbridges are declared illegal by the government of India and the central government is totally against the existence of such illegal weighbridges in the NH 6 and NH 40E,” it said.

According to the JAC, 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 central government. 

“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,” it said.

“Hence any structure built along the Highway without the approval of the competent authority which is the Ministry of Surface Road Transport and Highways in the government of India will deem to be illegal and not permissible in law,” it also added.

The JAC further alleged that 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 sState of Meghalaya.