The meeting's agenda include setting up the central road fund (CRF), through a presidential ordinance, to administer the road cess collected on petrol and diesel. Singh has recently said that the government would be bringing out an ordinance for the same.

The TDC meeting is also likely to take up the issue of legalisation of overloading by states like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. These states permit excess load against payment of a fee for carrying the excess load. The Rajasthan government recently said that it was allowing extra load after collecting a fixed amount in lieu of the penalty.

The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 places restriction on the load carried by commercial vehicles and prescribes penalty against overloading.

Higher axle loads overstress road resulting in increased maintenance cost of roads.

The other issues on the agenda include ensuring uniform composite tax across the country, fixing of minimum freight rate by states, one-time payment of road tax, and rationalisation of motor vehicle taxes and tax structure in tourist transport sector.

On pollution, the transport development council had, at its last meeting, suggested 100 per cent assistance for pollution testing equipment. But only a few state governments sent their proposals. While Tamil Nadu was provided Rs 49.72 lakh under the scheme during 1999-2000, proposals from other states were either not in line with the scheme or were sent to the surface transport ministry at the closing of the financial year.

The council had also asked the state governments to consider the expanding role of private finance in passenger transport, but the governments did not come forward.