Speeding trucks under HC scanner

After the killer Blueline buses, it is now the turn of speeding trucks to come under the Delhi High Court's scanner for endangering lives of road users in the capital.

Admitting a public interest litigation against NCT government's alleged failure to tame overloaded and polluting commercial vehicles - including those coming from other states, a division bench comprising Justice TS Thakur and Justice Vimla Birbal has referred it to Justice Mukul Mudgal who is hearing the case against the rampaging Blueline buses.

Claiming that overloaded and polluting trucks had killed 800 people in the city so far this year, the petition filed by an NGO Paryavaran Avam Van Vikas Morcha seeks action against truck owners and drivers for making Delhi roads unsafe.

Advocate Raj Panjwani appearing for the NGO said as many as 1,019 people were killed in 2005 in the capital due to rash driving of trucks.

The PIL also pointed out that these trucks, coming from different states, were overloaded which is not allowed under law and the Delhi Government had failed to prevent them from entering the city.

"The NCT Government has failed to discharge the obligation to prevent overloading of vehicles in particular goods vehicles which have resulted in deaths, caused environment pollution and damage to roads," the petitioner said.