Chennai: As many as 916 licences of lorry drivers have been suspended since the state ordered all drivers plying on Tamil Nadu roads to carry their original licence. The authorities are said to have booked the lorries for overloading and in the process collected the licences of the drivers. They later suspended the licences after the new rule permitting this had come into force.
Members of the Tamil Nadu Stone Quarry and Sand Lorry Owner Coordination committee want the government to withdraw the GO as there are numerous practical difficulties in implementing the rule. “Numerous regional transport officers encourage overloading of vehicles so that they can seek a bribe.
Now, though the drivers are paying the bribe, the police suspended their licence and in most cases the driver flees the scene,” said R. Panneerselvam, General Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Sand Lorry Owners' Association. He further added that most of the drivers come from different states on contract basis. Once their licence is cancelled, they are stuck for years.
