Representatives of overland freight carriers on Friday welcomed the decision of the government to implement the axle load limit – a rule to limit load on trucks as per size. The country's exchequer is suffering a loss of Rs4 billion annually in terms of damage to the roads due to overloading, said All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association (APGTOA) General Secretary Owais Chaudhry Advocate.
Speaking at a joint press conference at Karachi Press Club, Chaudhry thanked Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar, Army Chief General Asim Munir and Minister of Communications Shahid Ashraf Tarar for taking the most important decision of the implementation of axel load laws and said that is a good move for the recovery of the country's economy.
Overloading damages highways as well as causes accidents due to which thousands of innocent people die every year, he said.
Moreover, overloading affects transport sector due to wear and tear of trucks.
Most alarming is that putting excess load on vehile would weaken its breaks increasing chances of a major accident. Likewise, the repair and maintenance costs increase manifold, causing serious loss to vehicle owners. He said that they have also obtained a decision from the Islamabad High Court for the implementation of axle load limit and elimination of overloading from the platform of All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association.
The Islamabad High Court has issued clear orders regarding the issue of axle load limit as a public interest issue. The government should implement the axle load limit immediately.
Unfortunately, this law has been delayed for the past 23 years in Pakistan, which is the only country in the world where axle load limit was not enforced.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2023.
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