Transporters to stop loading automobiles

The four companies included Hero MotoCorp Limited, Honda Motor Company, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India private limited and Suzuki Motorcycle India. The transporters will not load goods for these companies in order to protest against the decision to not give them an extension for fitness certificates.

District transporters have decided to go on strike starting from June 27 after they failed to get a relief from chief minister on Saturday. The transporters will not carry goods from four automobile companies from Friday. This is in retaliation to transport department’s refusal to issue fitness certificates to over sized vehicles.

The four companies included Hero MotoCorp Limited, Honda Motor Company, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India private limited and Suzuki Motorcycle India. The transporters will not load goods for these companies in order to protest against the decision to not give them an extension for fitness certificates.

         Protest against ban on over-sized trucks

Gurgaon’s Automobile Carrier Welfare Association had a meeting with chief minister Manohar Lal on Saturday evening to seek extension for their oversized vehicles. The transporters from the district requested the chief minister to resolve the issue and at least allow the trucks which have been purchased on bank loans and those close to 10 years old and will soon be defunct due to NGT guidelines. However, the talks failed and the association announced that they will be on strike from Friday.

Out of around 15,000 heavy vehicles in Gurgaon, more than a 10,000 have been off road as they do not have a fitness certificate. The Regional Transport Authority (RTA) stopped renewing certificates to the trucks who had altered their body from January 7 this year. Overloading in trucks had become a major concern for RTA and toll agencies as it leads to revenue loss to state Exchequer. The transport department had issued instructions to all RTAs to issue fitness certificates only on the basis of Motor Vehicle Act 1988, following which no fitness certificates have been renewed this year. The RTA challaned over 700 trucks for oversizing in 2015 and over a 100 heavy vehicle plying on road without the certificate and have been impounded. They are released only after the body has been altered as per the norms.

“The oversized vehicles defeat the motor vehicle act because no alterations can be done in a manufactured vehicle without permission. Also, the extensions helps in overloading the trucks which means they carry more goods and it is an illegal transportation,” said an RTA official.

The issue of oversizing of trucks was raised in 2015 and at that time the state government had given the transporters a year’s time for the necessary changes.

“Trucks with over dimension are plying all over the country but we are facing this problem only in Haryana. We have suffered losses in crores in past six months. So, have decided to move out of Haryana and apply for registration and fitness of these vehicles in other states,” said Ashwini Sharma, secretary at Gurgaon Transporters Association.

Source: http://goo.gl/vKgPPu