CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has ordered Chennai Port Trust authorities to constitute a committee for preventing overloading of trailer lorries, which poses a grave threat to the safety of motorists and damages road infrastructure.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh passed the orders on a petition praying for action to restrain overloaded trailers from operating on public roads. He ordered the chairman of the Port to call for a meeting with the Commissioner of Transport, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-Traffic), the Traffic Manager of Port of Chennai, and the general managers of container terminal operators CTIPL and CCIL.
“In meeting, a decision shall be taken to form a committee and certain guidelines shall be drafted to ensure checks and balance to properly monitor and take action against those involved in overloading trailer lorries,” the judge stated in the order.
Further, the committee shall be made responsible for proper monitoring of the guidelines to be drafted by the committee and the court will regularly monitor the progress shown and ensure some control is established against overloading of vehicles. The chairman of the Port Trust was ordered to file a report before the case comes up for next hearing on October 27.
The court noted that the petition portrays a very disturbing scenario caused due to overloading of trailer vehicles. The danger envisaged is quite understandable since Metrorail work is going on across the city and overloading will result in the road itself sinking, causing greater disaster.
Saying that the Supreme Court has already given certain guidelines, the judge observed that there is no use in merely having guidelines but it is important to monitor the same. The petition had stated that there is always high risk of accidents due to excess weight. The petition said overloaded trailers cause damage to roads and fatal accidents, besides toppling of vehicles.
Notice to SIC on Perarivalan’s plea for info
Chennai: The Madras High Court has ordered notice to State Information Commission (SIC) on a petition filed by Perarivalan, one of the convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. Ordering notice, Justice MS Ramesh directed the SIC to submit reply in four weeks. Perarivalan had approached the court seeking orders to furnish him with details of communication made between the TN government and the Governor, on the Cabinet’s decision recommending the Governor to order premature release of all the seven convicts in the case, based on an SC ruling. ENS