Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (RD)

Mangalore, Apr 20: With the Supreme Court giving the green signal to lift the ban on iron ore export with effect from Wednesday April 20, the number of iron ore-laden trucks plying towards NMPT is likely to increase, thus leading to traffic snarls, and worse, threatening the newly-laid national highways.

SC had issued an interim-order on April 5 granting conditional permission to resume iron ore exports, after the state administration provided information related to illegal mining and iron ore export.

"The highways will wither faster owing to plying of over-laden ore trucks. These trucks are likely to cause numerous potholes on the national highways,’ said Praveen Shetty, chairman of road safety sub-committee of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI).

"The roads leading to NMPT can withstand plying of trucks with a dead weight of 35 tonnes, while ore exporters load 45 – 60 tonnes of iron ore in a multi-axle truck, thereby threatening the highways,’ he added.

The sub-standard highway Suratkal and B C Road will not be able to withstand the weight of over-laden iron ore trucks, Praveen noted.

The ongoing widening workd on the NH 17 from Kundapur to Suratkal would also be threatened if the plying of the trucks is resumed, G Hanumant Kamat, president of Nagarika Hitarakshana Samiti said.

Kamat urged the RTA to curb speeding by the truck drivers who are bound by a deadline to reach NMPT.

One of the assistant engineers of the NHAI Mangalore division said that the RTA rules state that single axle trucks are allowed to carry a payload of 8 tonne, while three-axle trucks plying to NMPT are allowed to carry a payload of 25 tonnes, but none of the trucks are allowed to carry 35 tonnes. RTA will take action on the owners of such trucks, he added.

It is possible to compensate the loss incurred by illegal mining in the state by collecting the amount from the owners of the mines as per SC directions. New act to curb illegal mining is not required, added Harnahalli.