Special drive to curb excess vehicle load

January 4: The State Transport Department will crack down on vehicles plying in the state with goods in excess of the permissible load as part of its `Special Safety Drive’. The drive, which will kick off today, will continue upto the end of February.

Said a press release, in the last three months, frequent overloading of vehicles with goods has proved detrimental to the safety of other vehicles and pedestrians, besides damaging roads and bridges. The Commissioner of Motor Vehicles Department C D Singh and the Enforcement branch under W S Shirbhate and S V Thakur have instructed the concerned departments to check whether vehicles are overloaded while entering the state and leaving the cities.

The release also warns truck owners that if such vehicles are detected, the permits will be suspended or cancelled under Section 86 of the Motor Vehicles Act, in addition to other penalties. Recently, 250 to 300 vehicles were asked to offload their excess load before they entered the state border at the Acchad check post in Thane district. They were asked to pay up Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 per tonne, added the release.