Bhutan Observed Hike in Freight Charges due to New Restrictions

Because of the new restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court of India, freight charges from India to Bhutan would increase by 60-80 percent. The new restrictions will be implemented from May 21, 2010.

On April 30, 210, the Commissioner of transport in Guwahati and Assam published the notifications regarding overloaded trucks that would go through the national highway network.

The notification says that no overloaded vehicle should ply the highways even after paying their fines under motor vehicle act. Excess loads will be unloaded right on the spot after detection and the vehicle owner would have to bear all the responsibilities and cost of unloading.

The new law permits load of a six wheeler truck to 9 metric tonnes, 10 wheelers to 15 metric tonnes.

The Supreme Court actually passed the order in 2009 based on the appeal made by the National Highway Authority Of India and other parties that are working on building the four and six lane national highways across India.

The Supreme Court gave orders to all the surface transport authorities working in states all over India to stop overloaded vehicles from running on the highways. Contractors who are building the highway will be held responsible for their respective segment for a certain period of time. During this period, if they fail to meet the necessary standards, their security deposits will be forfeited.

The restrictions have been imposed to ensure the longevity of the roads, less emissions and traffic safety. However, these restrictions have not been fully implemented in Assam, West Bengal and some other states.