The unchecked movement of overloaded trucks on roads in Kangra district continues to pose a grave threat to public safety while inflicting extensive damage to the road infrastructure, including bridges and culverts built at enormous public expenses. Despite clear provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act, trucks and tippers transporting sand, gravel, grit and other construction material from stone crushers and industrial units routinely operate with loads far exceeding the prescribed limits. While most rural, district and internal road bridges in the hill state are designed to withstand loads of only 12 tonnes to 15 tonnes, many heavy vehicles are frequently found carrying between 20 tonnes and 30 tonnes.

A senior official of the State Transport Department admits that overloading is one of the biggest challenges for the enforcement agencies. Trucks carrying sand, gravel, bricks, cement, marble, clinker, steel, tiles and other construction materials are among the worst offenders. He says that weak enforcement due to an acute shortage of manpower makes it difficult for the Transport Department to effectively monitor and penalise the violators.

The problem is particularly acute in areas such as Jaisinghpur, Kangra and Nurpur, where overloaded trucks regularly transport stones, sand and gravel from crushers. Many of these vehicles reportedly carry loads of up to 30 tonnes, causing severe damage to roads, bridges and culverts while significantly increasing maintenance costs.

Ironically, enforcement against overloading remains negligible. Official figures reveal that of every 100 traffic challans issued by the police and the Regional Transport Offices (RTOs), only about eight are related to overloading while the remaining 92 are issued for other traffic violations. Experts say this highlights the lack of focused action against one of the most serious causes of deterioration in road conditions.

Transport experts believe Himachal Pradesh can learn from states such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, where stringent enforcement has virtually eliminated the entry of overloaded trucks. At interstate checkpoints in these states, every heavy commercial vehicle is required to pass through electronic weighbridges and vehicles exceeding the permissible limit are fined a minimum of Rs 10,000. These checkpoints are supervised by officers of the rank of District Transport Officer, ensuring strict compliance with the law.

In contrast, several weighbridges installed by the Himachal Pradesh Government at the interstate barriers remain either non-functional or grossly underutilised. Though the Transport Department is fully aware of the problem, the mandatory weighing of commercial vehicles entering the state is rarely enforced.

Subhash Sharma and KB Ralhan, members of local NGO People’s Voice, say that unless the government adopts a zero-tolerance approach towards overloading, activates all weighbridges and strengthens enforcement, Himachal Pradesh will continue to witness avoidable road accidents, premature deterioration in the condition of bridges and roads and mounting financial losses in maintaining its transport infrastructure.