Jharsuguda, 31.1 (Fast News Odisha): In order to control the environmental pollution and road accidents caused during the transportation of coal, it has been made mandatory to take a special permit for transporting coal. This important decision has been taken in the road safety advisory committee meeting held under the chairmanship of District Collector Kunal Motiram Chavan. According to the decision, all truck owners and transport companies transporting coal will have to apply for a special permit. The application should mention the name, address, contact number of the transporter along with full details of the vehicle—vehicle registration number, type, gross weight and date of fitness validity. Similarly, it is mandatory to give all the details related to the coal transportation including origin (mining, siding etc.), destination, scheduled route, duration of transportation and scheduled date in the application. It should be ensured that the coal is hole-proofed in the wagons and that no more than the specified quantity of coal is loaded. Applicants have to submit a declaration of non-overloading, valid Pollution Control Certificate (PUC), prescribed electronic waybill and transport permit. In addition, it is imperative to give an undertaking that full compliance with motor vehicle laws and environmental regulations will be provided. It has been warned that in case of violation of any rule, the relevant permit will be canceled and legal action will be taken. After verification of all the documents, the concerned lane will be declared eligible for transporting coal by the transport department. This rule will be made mandatory for all coal trucks bearing OR and OD numbers. Security Superintendent Gundla Raghavendra Reddy, representatives of Brajrajnagar Truck Owners Association, National Highways Department, Port Department, Biju Expressway management staff and representatives of industries like Vedanta, Aditya Birla were present in the said meeting. The administration hopes that this system will increase road safety and reduce environmental pollution and road accidents in the coming days.
Sameer Kumar Patel reports from Jharsuguda, Fast News Odisha.