The Transport Department will install "weigh in motion – weighing bridges" in different parts of the State to check overloading of vehicles without disturbing their movement. If found overloaded, the vehicles will be offloaded and seized.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of Safefleet initiative of the Confederation of Indian Industry here on Friday, Transport Minister R. Ashoka said the first of such weigh bridges will be installed near Bagepalli check post. The second will be installed near Hassan, he said. In all, the Department plans to install 18 such bridges across the State, according to Secretary to Government (Transport Department) M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda.
Mr. Ashoka was responding to reporters’ queries on the steps being taken to curb overloading and thereby reducing damaging of roads and road accidents. The weigh bridge will be installed on the surface of the road. When a vehicle moves on the bridge, its weight will be recorded instantaneously.
If the vehicle is found to be overloaded, the Department officials will stop it ahead of the bridge and get it offloaded before seizing the same. There is no need to stop all vehicles for weighing thereby avoiding unnecessary hardship to genuine transporters, Mr. Ashoka said. Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao added that overloading has considerably come down during the last one year due to rigorous enforcement by the Department.
Recr
The Minister said for long, there had been no recruitment of enforcement staff in his department and 112 inspectors of motor vehicles were recruited in 2008 after a gap of over 15 years. The government has further accorded sanction to recruit 130 more inspectors, he said. Transport Commissioner Bhaskar Rao said the Department has requested the Karnataka Public Service Commission to take up the recruitment process.
New recruitment and computerisation of the entire department are some of the steps being taken by the Department to meet the challenges posed by increasing number of vehicles, Mr. Ashoka added. Joint Commissioners of Transport D. Vijay Vikram, C.R. Mohammed Suleman, Richard Vincent D’Souza, H.G. Kumar, R. Muniveere Gowda, Deputy Commissioners of Transport R. Rajashekhar, L. Hemantha Kumar, C.P. Narayanaswamy and Regional Transport Officers from the City were present.
