Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 4: Working chairman of National Panthers Party Harshdev Singh (MLA) has alleged blatant violation of Motor Vehicles Act by unscrupulous traders and transport mafia in connivance with police, traffic enforcement and Excise Department officials.
In a press statement issued here today Mr Singh said that under the Motor Vehicles Act, as applicable throughout the country including J&K, the quantum of load to be carried by load carriers and trucks has been fixed at 9 mt. But a large scale malpractice is going on in the process of carriage due to unholy nexus between transport mafia and concerned officers who are allowing double or even three times higher load than permissible under the Act.
Mr Singh said such unholy nexus is not only leading to toll tax evasion but also become cause of nuisance and accidents on the highway. He said that control of over loading is must by ensuring provision of weigh bridges at different places on the highway. He also alleged some fraudulent practices at the lone weigh bridge at Lakhanpur and also at Jammu Railway Station where the over loaded vehicles are given two toll receipts one for original overloaded vehicle and other for a fictitious vehicle causing losses worth crores to the State exchequer. He also demanded that a weigh bridge be made operational at Udhampur.
The NPP leader also pointed out that civil vehicles were earlier engaged by the CAPD for supply of ration at 10% less rates now entire supply has been entrusted to the SRTC and some middle-men on commission basis have been taking benefit causing loss to the State exchequer in connivance with some insiders in the department. He said that there was need to keep a check and expose the nexus.
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