A section of lorry drivers has accused the police of charging hefty fines from them in the name of enforcing curbs on multi-axle vehicles on the renovated Thamarassery ghat road. The drivers alleged that only those who agreed to pay the exorbitant fine without demanding their receipts were allowed to go.
A lorry driver, who claimed to have undergone such an experience, said the police were insisting on spot payment of ₹3,000 without issuing the receipt. Even those who agreed to pay the amount in court were not allowed to go, he alleged.
A section of lorry owners also have come out in support of the drivers’ claim, seeking immediate surveillance measures on the route. They alleged that the police were conducting their checking only midway on the 11-km route without trying to prevent such vehicles at the entry points.
They also complained that a local group, reportedly part of the voluntary ghat road conservation activities, was working in support of the police to fleece the truck drivers. Some of them were even named at a recent convention of wayside entrepreneurs on the route, they said.
Charge denied
Meanwhile, the police denied the allegation and claimed that the lorry drivers were trying to defy the measures taken by the district administration to ensure the safety of other passengers. Fines were imposed only on vehicles which carried goods beyond the permitted quantity, they claimed.