In an attempt to reduce loss of time and equipment in freight and make transport safer, the central government is undertaking a survey of road bridges across the country to redesign routes for movement of transport trucks. The survey will take about six months and the data will be uploaded on a web portal.
“We want to ensure that cargo is transported safely and quickly, so that we can work towards Prime Minister’s ‘Make in India’ vision. To avoid overloading by non-hydraulic trucks, weighing bridges will also be installed at toll plazas across the country to automatically record the cargo weight and upload it on a web portal. An appropriate fine will then automatically be levied. This work will be finished before the end of this fiscal,” said Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road transport and highways on Tuesday.
The web portal was also inaugurated on Tuesday by the minister, at an event organised by the Hydraulic Trailer Owners Association.
According to roads secretary Vijay Chhibber, the ministry does not currently have adequate data to assess the load taking capability of the bridges.
“These six months, when we will be assessing the bridges, will be a learning phase for us. We need to ascertain which route is suitable for what cargo weight. Currently, we are woefully short of data that can tell us how safe different routes are,” Chhibber said.
A roads ministry official added that for the purpose of the survey, the country had been divided into 18 zones, with each zone assigned an independent consultant.
The bridges, which have been designed to a standard set by the Indian Roads Congress, can safely handle a non-hydraulic truck with 49 tonnes of cargo. However, with rampant overloading of trucks, possibility of accidents on these ageing bridges has increased manyfold.
Chhibber added that in the next 2-3 months, a notification will also be issued which will legally define hydraulic trailers in the Motor Vehicles Act, thus simplifying the procedure of registration of these vehicles.
Currently, the owners of these vehicles have to apply at the regional transport commissioner’s office, who then forwards their application to the roads ministry which then provides requisite clearances. After the act has been amended, the owners will be able to register them at the local RTO, as is the case with other trucks.