NHAI asked to make weighing operational at toll plazas to penalize violators

The Gurugram Regional Transport Authority (RTA) and the district administration has asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to use weighing equipment at toll plazas to issue instant challans on violators whose goods vehicles are overloaded, RTA officials said on Friday.

Gurugram has two toll plazas under NHAI jurisdiction: one at Ghamroj on Sohna Elevated Road and another at Kherki Daula on NH-48. According to officials, while weigh-in-motion (WIM) equipment at Ghamroj is operational in all lanes, the static weighing machines at both sides of the plaza, typically used for heavy vehicles, are non-functional. At Kherki Daula, WIM systems, which weigh vehicles as they stop to pay toll, are non-functional and there is no space to install static weighing systems.

A third toll plaza on the KMP expressway falls under the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation. Last year, 1,950 overloading challans were issued totalling ₹10.97 crore, almost a 46% drop from 2022’s ₹20.2 crore for 4,393 violations.

The issue of overloading and evading challans were discussed in a recent district level meeting on road safety with NHAI officials, highlighting the challenge faced by the RTA’s five-member enforcement team in apprehending overloaded vehicles, which hampers effective challan issuance for repeat offenders.

Secretary of the Gurugram RTA Gajender Singh noted the severity of overloading as numerous heavy vehicles transit through Gurugram to Faridabad, Rajasthan, or Delhi. “We have found that several transporters were repeat offenders in case of overloading. At least 24 such incidents surfaced last month where the vehicles caught for overloading were found to be recently released either on court order or on fine payment. This persistent problem prompted discussions during a road safety meeting, given the threat to road safety and infrastructure,” he said.“We urged NHAI to address overloading at toll plazas by issuing challans to violators, supporting our enforcement efforts,” said Singh. According to officials, RTA’s five-member enforcement team conduct nighttime checks, as heavy vehicle movement is permitted during these hours. Overloaded vehicles, often transporting construction materials, mines, and minerals, are taken to the nearest weighing station if they lack proper documentation, said a senior RTA official, adding that overloaded vehicles are seized and released only upon fine payment or court orders.

Catching overloaded vehicles is risky, as drivers often attempt to evade capture, noted an RTA official, adding, “overloaded vehicles might escape our checks but will be intercepted at toll plazas.”

A senior NHAI official mentioned that headquarters have been notified to restart the static weighing machines at Ghamroj, expecting them to be operational within a month after recalibration. Currently, WIMs function only at Ghamroj, with further actions depending on senior authorities’ directives.According to Gurugram RTA officials, the permissible maximum gross weight of a 10-wheeler is 25 tonnes, while for a 12-wheeler, it is 35 tonnes. Similarly, for a 14-wheeler, the permissible maximum gross weight is 42 tonnes, while it is 48 tonnes for a 16-wheeler, and 55-tonnes for a 22-wheeler. The fine for overloading by one tonne is ₹21,000, while section 190(3) of The Motor Vehicle Act states a ₹2,000 fine for every additional tonne beyond that.