Off-load trucks to create employment, says minister

Kolkata, March 27 Checking overloading of trucks will help create employment, state transport minister Subhas Chakraborty said today. It would create a a requirement of additional 60,000 goods vehicles which would create employment for at least one lakh people.

Replying to a calling attention motion raised by legislator Bhaktaram Pan, Chakraborty said in the state Assembly: "The government is aware of the issue. The transport department holds regular meetings with district magistrates and the superintendents of police for stopping the menace of overloading in goods vehicles."

After meetings with state finance and transport departments and the district magistrates, a proposal was taken up for the setting up of weigh bridges on a public-private partnership basis. This would help detect overloading at various locations and also off-loading the extra load, he informed. "The department has been able to engage 14 weigh bridge operators in Howrah, Hooghly, Nadia, North 24-Parganas, West Midnapore, Purulia, Burdwan, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri and Birbhum," the minister said.