To ease the movement of trucks in the country and to facilitate transportation during the nationwide lockdown, the Union Home Ministry on Thursday clarified that trucks would not be requiring any special permits or separate passes for inter-state movement. Trucks will be allowed movement whether they are on the way to deliver goods or coming back empty after completing the delivery. Moreover, the government also stated that permission for movement at borders is to be granted on the basis of the license of the truck driver only.
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Commenting on the reports received by the governments regarding hindered movement of trucks, Ajay Bhalla, Union Home Secretary, said that the government has asked all states and UTs to support seamless movement of trucks during the lockdown period. As per Bhalla, trucks have been facing issues by local authorities who insist upon separate passes for entry, despite the government’s clear guidelines.
Bhalla asked states to allow movement of all trucks and other goods carrier vehicles with two drivers and one helper subject to the drivers carrying valid driving licences. He further added that an empty truck or vehicle will be allowed to ply after the delivery of goods, or after pick up of goods.
He clarified that as per government’s directives, even empty trucks are allowed to move back to their destination, and do not require any special passes to do so. The government recognised that it was imperative to ease out movement for trucks in order to keep the supply chain running in the country and to ensure that there is no shortage of essential supplies while the nation is under a lockdown.
As per the Ministry of Home Affairs’ order, “Accordingly, all states and UTs shall ensure that district authorities and field agencies are informed of the above instructions, so that there is no ambiguity at the ground level, and movement of through traffic of trucks and goods carriers, including empty trucks is allowed without any hindrance.”.