SHILLONG, Nov 16: The Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday asked the state to either realise the cost of maintenance of roads from overloaded vehicles or arrest the deteriorating road condition by prohibiting their movement.

“A lot more attention is needed in such regard, if only to ensure that the cost of maintenance of roads is partially realised from the penalties imposed on overloaded vehicles or the deterioration in road conditions is arrested by altogether prohibiting the movement of overloaded vehicles,” the Division Bench said in its order passed while hearing a PIL filed by Tennydard M Marak.

The bench said there is tacit admission on the part of the State that the requisite mechanism for checking overloaded vehicles may not be in place.

There are 14 weighbridges across the State.

The bench however said the total distance of national and state highways would run into several thousand kilometers and 14 weighbridges may not be enough.

With the petitioner bringing irrefutable and impeachable evidence of several of such weighbridges not being functional or operational, the State said that private parties have been engaged to set up and man the weighbridges upon tenders being floated, but there is a lot more that requires to be done.

The bench said, “Indeed, this could be a money-spinner for the State in augmenting revenue by penalising overloaded vehicles, particularly since there is a lot of inter-State carriage of goods through Meghalaya.”

It said that petitioner rightly pointed out that no roadmap is indicated by the State as to when the appropriate measures would be put in place to ensure that overloading of goods vehicles is stopped adding “The State must also remember that the failure to check overloaded vehicles results in the State bleeding in maintaining roads, particularly given the rainfall in the State and road surface being water-soluble.”

Directing that the matter will again be heard on February 7, next year, the bench said that it will ascertain whether any serious steps have been taken or the State continues to bleed to protect vested interests in transport bodies.