In a letter dated 7 September 2026 addressed to the Deputy Commissioner, South Andaman District, Mallik referred to an earlier request regarding an additional weighbridge on NH-4, mandatory use of the existing Mile Tilak weighbridge by commercial goods vehicles, exemption of weighbridge user fees for vehicles transporting fresh vegetables, and continuation of the 12-tonne maximum truck-load restriction on vehicle ferries.
Mallik said NHIDCL had provided technical comments and an Action Taken Report (ATR), including recommendations from its technical experts and engineers, following his earlier correspondence. He described the recommendations as feasible and said several could be implemented immediately, except for the construction of an additional weighbridge.
Call for continued enforcement against overloaded vehicles
Mallik urged the Administration to continue enforcement against overloaded commercial goods vehicles, citing the need to protect the pavement, bridges, culverts and other highway assets.
He acknowledged the role of the Regional Transport Office, Directorate of State Transport Services and other enforcement agencies in the ongoing drives.
He also requested a fresh verification of the operation, legal status and calibration of the weighbridge at Mile Tilak, and called for its mandatory use by every commercial goods vehicle travelling on NH-4.
12-tonne ferry-load restriction
Mallik further called for continuation of the restriction limiting the maximum truck load of commercial goods vehicles to 12 tonnes on vehicle ferries.
He said the Directorate of Shipping Services and Port Management Board were enforcing the restriction and urged that it continue.
Proposal for additional weighbridges
Beyond the existing facility at Mile Tilak, Mallik proposed consideration of additional weighbridges at several locations.
He identified Garacharama/Port Blair, Nimbutala/Rangat, Tugapur/Mayabunder and Sitanagar/Diglipur as locations that, in his view, could benefit from additional public-accessible weighbridges.
He called for a feasibility study to identify critical hubs, particularly trans-island entry and exit points.
Mallik also suggested either a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model or an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) approach, along with consultation with local truck and cargo associations. He proposed coordination between NHIDCL, State Transport Services, the Directorate of Shipping Services and the district administrations.
NH-4 completion timeline cited
In the letter, Mallik said that following a meeting with NHIDCL's Executive Director, he had learnt that construction of the entire NH-4 was expected to be completed by March 2027, while the second bridge was expected by mid-2028, subject to timely availability of construction materials, particularly bitumen.
He described the availability of bitumen as a challenge being faced by NHIDCL.
The completion timelines are presented here as information conveyed to Mallik and cited in his letter, rather than as independently verified project deadlines.
Earlier communication with NHIDCL
The uploaded correspondence also contains a 2 September communication from Mallik to NHIDCL thanking the organisation for its response and for providing recommendations and details concerning actions taken on his requests. Mallik said he intended to take those recommendations forward with relevant departments, particularly State Transport Services and the Directorate of Shipping Services.
The correspondence refers to two annexures from NHIDCL, including a letter dated 31 August 2026 and an Action Taken Report concerning the proposed additional NH-04 weighbridge and continued enforcement. The actual substantive contents of those annexures are not reproduced in the parsed text available here.