The state transport department is formulating standard operating procedures (SOPs) to intercept such vehicles on national highways and at toll plazas.
This decision follows a high-level meeting involving officials from the state transport department, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), and other stakeholders. The transport department is intensifying its efforts to curb vehicle overloading, a significant issue that affects road safety and infrastructure. To this end, the department has requested comprehensive data on vehicles, including those detected as overloaded by cameras at NHAI toll plazas. This data will be utilised to issue challans and generate revenue from offending vehicles. Moreover, vehicles identified as violators of the Motor Vehicles Act will be earmarked for further action by the enforcement team.
In addition to leveraging existing data, the transport department has approached the IT wing of the National Informatics Centre to develop software capable of automatically detecting tax-defaulting vehicles using camera feeds. This system will facilitate the issuance of e-challans to offending vehicles passing through toll plazas, thereby streamlining the enforcement process.
Simultaneously, the state transport department is collaborating with experts from IIT-Kharagpur to develop ‘safe corridors’ aimed at reducing road accidents and related fatalities. This initiative involves identifying accident-prone stretches of road and implementing targeted safety measures. The expertise of IIT-Kharagpur will be instrumental in transforming these dangerous stretches into safe corridors. The transport department has requested a list of notified safe corridors from the NHAI to ensure a coordinated approach to road safety. This collaboration highlights the department’s commitment to enhancing road safety through strategic planning and advanced technology.
The new measures signify a proactive stance by the transport department to address the pervasive issue of vehicle overloading, which poses serious risks to road users and undermines the integrity of road infrastructure. By combining data-driven enforcement with innovative safety initiatives, the department aims to create a safer and more efficient transport network.
These efforts underscore the importance of maintaining regulatory oversight and leveraging technological advancements to improve road safety. The transport department’s multi-faceted approach, including the use of data analytics and collaboration with academic experts, sets a new benchmark in addressing the challenges associated with vehicle overloading and road safety in India.
