Port Blair: The growing menace of overloaded trucks and goods carriers on National Highway-4, popularly known as the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR), has emerged as a major threat to public safety, road infrastructure, and smooth transportation across the Islands. With heavily laden vehicles routinely plying on the highway, concerns are mounting over the increasing risk of accidents, rapid deterioration of roads and bridges, and the danger posed to commuters.
In a significant move aimed at curbing the dangerous practice, the Transport Department under the A&N Administration has intensified its enforcement drive against overloading on the ATR, signalling a much-needed clampdown on violators who continue to flout prescribed load limits despite repeated warnings.
Amid rising concerns over road safety and damage to public infrastructure, the A&N Administration has launched a strict enforcement drive against overloaded trucks and transport vehicles operating along National Highway-4 (Andaman Trunk Road), one of the Islands’ most crucial transport corridors. Authorities have observed a steady increase in incidents involving goods vehicles carrying loads far beyond permissible limits, a practice that not only endangers motorists and pedestrians but also places enormous stress on roads and bridges across the Islands. Road-owning agencies and stakeholders have reportedly flagged the issue as a growing hazard requiring urgent intervention.
Invoking provisions under Sections 113 and 114 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, the Transport Department has begun random inspections and weighment checks of trucks and other transport vehicles along the ATR from May 12, 2026.
Officials stated that any vehicle suspected of overloading may be directed to nearby weighing facilities for verification. If found carrying excess load beyond the prescribed gross vehicle weight or axle weight, drivers will be compelled to offload the additional cargo at their own risk before being allowed to proceed.
The crackdown is also backed by stringent financial penalties. Under Section 194 of the Motor Vehicles Act, violators can face a fine of Rs. 20,000 along with an additional penalty of Rs. 2,000 per tonne of excess load, besides bearing off-loading charges.
The enforcement drive has already begun yielding results. Out of 29 vehicles randomly inspected so far, 12 were subjected to weighment checks, and four vehicles were found violating prescribed load norms. Necessary penalties were imposed, and the vehicles were allowed to move only after removal of excess cargo.
Transport authorities have underlined that the initiative is not merely a punitive exercise but a crucial step towards ensuring road safety, protecting fragile transport infrastructure, and preventing avoidable accidents on the ATR, which serves as the lifeline of inter-island connectivity.
The Administration has appealed to transport operators, truck owners, and drivers to strictly comply with prescribed load regulations and cooperate with enforcement agencies in the larger interest of public safety and smooth traffic movement across the Islands.
