Rs 4 crore spent on weight scales to stop overloaded truck but they don’t function

GURUGRAM: To deter plying of overloaded vehicles on highways, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had last year come out with guidelines to force them off the road till the extra load is removed at the cost and risk of transporters. Four months back, authorities installed 25 weighing scales at Kherki Daula toll plaza to check the weight of trucks, at a cost of nearly Rs 4 crore, but they are not operational yet.

For the time being, the toll plaza is only levying penal charges of 10 times the applicable toll on overloaded vehicles and letting them go. This is because of practical problems like inadequate parking space at toll plaza and lack of authority to impound overloaded vehicles, NHAI officials said.

"There are 25 weigh-in-motion (WIM) scales — devices which are designed to capture and record axle weight and gross vehicle weight as vehicles drive over a measurement site — at the toll plaza. But we have not been able to utilise them as NHAI has no authority to impound overloaded vehicles," Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI, told TOI.

As per NHAI guidelines, overloaded vehicles will not be allowed to cross toll plazas but will be towed away and parked at a designated place at the owner's risk and cost. The vehicle will be released only after the owner or the driver pays the penalty equivalent to 10 times the applicable fee of toll and undertakes to offload the extra weight. And if the vehicle remains unclaimed for more than seven days, then it will be handed over to the police station concerned.

"Currently, there is no place at the toll plaza where we can park overloaded trucks," said Sharma. Asked why NHAI procured the WIM scales at a cost of Rs 3.73 crore if it knew of the practical difficulties, Sharma said, "The scales were purchased following orders from National Green Tribunal."

Toll operator, Skylark Securitas Private Limited, said it's waiting for the NHAI nod. TC Rao, chairman of Skylark, said, "There are many factors which need to be looked into before this technology comes into force. Under the provision, the extra weight needs to be taken off and the driver or owner will be charged for carrying that weight. We (Skylark) are already looking after many WIM scales at different toll plazas in the country and manning them successfully."