The Association of Meghalaya Traders and Transporters has filed a writ petition in the Meghalaya High Court against the State Weighbridges Policy, 2018 and a notification related to the number of locations proposed for setting up of weighbridges across the State.
The Meghalaya Cabinet had recently approved the State policy for weighbridges, 2018 for setting up of weighbridges across the State.
The Association headed by its president, Enrico D. Pasi, informed the division bench of Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir and Justice H.S. Thangkhiew that the notification on weighbridges is highly arbitrary as in a single route, more than seven weighbridges are proposed to be set up.
“This will lead to random extortion and harassment to truckers as all their reasonable profits they are making during the course of their trade and commerce will have to be shed off to the government weighbridges,” Pasi said in the petition.
The petition also raised the issues related to “illegal appointment” of staff in the State Transport Department on ad hoc basis, and even give them promotion without following due process of law while alleging that the department was on an appointment spree to various posts of time keepers, helpers gate chowkidars and some of the appointees are kith and kin of officers serving in the department.
The petition also alleged that there was a move to appoint grade-2 officers (enforcement inspectors) through back door system without inviting applications, adding that all these illegal appointees are posted at places where weighbridges and checkpoints of the transport department.