CHENNAI: The transport commissioner has instructed all the zonal and regional transport officials to act strictly against the overloading of vehicles which causes accidents and affects the transportation sector.

The commissioner's instructions came in the wake of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways direction to all the states and union territories on the complaint of All India Motor Transport Congress on overloading of vehicles.

In the instruction, the commissioner has directed the officials to take transport vehicles for overloading on permit violation, suspension of driving license and imposing of fines.

According to the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019, overloading of vehicles would attract a penalty of Rs 20,000 and an additional fine of Rs 2,000 per extra per tonne under section 194 (I).

"Section 199 of Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 makes the consigner, consignee, transporter, and trucker accountable for perpetrating the criminal offence and they all be equally penalised, " the commissioner said.

MORTH has said that overloading of trucks is one of the key causative agents of accidents and it results in distortion of the market leading to poor freights, compromises the safety of other road users, damages the public property, pollutes the environment and erodes the revenue exchequer.

AIMTCAIMTC has written Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari seeking action on the overloading of vehicles. "The rampant overloading by the consignors in collusion with the enforcement officials, who force the tuckers and transporters to overload and make them succumb to their threats of loss of business. The truckers and transporters are forced to overload to avoid harassment, extortion and loss of business. The law enforcers turn a blind eye to these nefarious activities citing their active collusion and once these vehicles are on the road, they pound on them and extort money," it demanded.