Transport Department mandates weighment at departmental weighbridges for mineral transport

The Transport Department has taken a decision to mandate transit weighment at empanelled weighbridges that are owned and operated by the department and the Mines and Geology Department instead of vehicle owners doing it themselves

The move comes after a meeting of these two departments which saw Transport Commissioner K Ilambarithi and Director of Mines and Geology Anudeep Durishetty was convened on Friday. The meeting saw officials discussing measures to improve weighing of lorries carrying minerals and introducing a verified driver registry for such vehicles

“It was noted that weighment details for mineral transport (23 notified minerals, including sand and stone) are presently self-declared online by the quarry owner at the point of loading, with the transit permit generated automatically without independent verification en route. In the absence of independent verification, there remains a likelihood of vehicles carrying loads in excess of permitted limits going undetected, with on-road interception remaining the only, and resource-intensive, means of detection currently available,” a press release reads.

Also discussed was the subject of mining transport drivers being migrants from other States who have been operating these vehicles without adequate training. As a result, every mining transport vehicle owner will now have to register the driving license of all drivers who operate such vehicles so that they can be stored on the Sarathi database.