Hyderabad: The HMDA is facing big issues with the breaking down of overweight trucks on the Outer Ring Road. The Saturday night accident in which actor Ravi Teja’s younger brother Bharath occurred when his car rammed into a stationary truck from the rear.
Most of these vehicles are inter-state goods carriers and break down right in the middle of the ORR. These vehicles cannot be moved aside to clear the road unless cranes are brought to the spot. The whole process takes some time.
The truck involved in the accident was rated for 15 tonnes but was carrying 25 tonnes of cement when it broke down.
On Saturday night, the operation and maintenance staff reached the spot and kept safety cones and ribbons near the truck to alert vehicles. Besides, the stretch between Shamsh-abad and Gachibowli, where the accident occurred, has been illuminated with LED lighting.
The accident brought to the fore again the tendency of some drivers to speed on the wide open roads. This is said to be one of the reasons that contributed to the accident.
“Normally when vehicles break down they are moved into the sick lane. The problems arises when when overloaded trucks break down,” an official said.
There are restrictions on the load being carried by lorries which depend upon the number of axles, on National Highways.
According to Mr P. Ramesh Reddy, project director, National High-ways Authority of India, trucks have to be stopped at toll gates. If found to be overloaded, a fine of 10 times the toll fee could be imposed. The excess weight should be unloaded at the toll gate and the labour charges should also be collected from the truck driver, he said.
Asked about this, HMDA commissioner T. Chiran-jeevulu said they would look into the truck overweight issue on the ORR, as of now, trucks are barred on the city routes and they take the ORR, he said.
