Ganderbal, June 30, KNT: Authorities seized at least 5 fruit-laden Tata-mobile vehicles whose drivers were allowed to ply from Srinagar to Kargil despite one way traffic from the opposite direction.

Sources said that Assistant Regional Transport Officer Ganderbal seized these vehicles at Zero Point Zojila at 12 midnight after he came to know that staffers posted at Traffic Police Check Post Sonmarge had allowed these vehicle to leave for Kargil without weighing them at Weight Bridge.

ARTO challaned Rs 22,000 each from the drivers of these vehicles.

“According to the norms, the heavy motor vehicles like tippers, trolleys and trucks before proceeding from Sonamarg to Kargil, Leh and Zanskar are weighed at MV’s Weigh Bridge and are only allowed to ferry a required load. The driver is given a slip in the form of a pass form with the help of which it moves ahead. If the weight of the loaded material exceeds, a fine is accordingly charged from the driver.

A couple of drivers told Kashmir News Trust that not only vehicles are being allowed to leave for Kargil, Leh and Zanskar during night hours without weighing their load but during day time a fine of Rs 22,000 is charged from the driver if load exceeds even a kilogram.

They said the menace of corruption has cropped up in this process as the agents at the Weigh Bridge are fraudulently making money by either allowing extra load to the vehicles or allowing them to proceed without weighing the vehicles during night hours, even if there is one way traffic.

The truck drivers said they are disturbed with this practice. They alleged that Sonmarg Weight Bridge has become a sources of corruption and nuisance for them. The sought intervention of Commissioner Transport Kashmir.

“Believe us, we don’t earn anything with this business. We have been suffering losses due to the weightage system,” the truck drivers said.

It is noteworthy that a couple of years back, then then Vigilance Organization and Crime Branch had raided the weigh bridge after complaints about corruption started cropping up.

Assistant Regional Transport Officer Ganderbal Arif Pervaiz Shah confirmed to KNT that he seized 5 Tata-mobile vehicles whose drivers were allowed to ply from Srinagar to Kargil despite one way traffic from the opposite direction. He said these vehicles were allowed to proceed towards Kargil during night hours illegally. (KNT)