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KUALA LUMPUR – Road Transport Department (RTD) vehicles escorting several timber-laden lorries in Gua Musang, Kelantan, seen in a video that went viral yesterday, were actually part of a special timber lorry operation implemented by Kelantan RTD, the department claimed.
The department said in a statement last night that the vehicles were escorting the lorries to ensure the drivers did not evade RTD control and would proceed directly to the Mentara enforcement station in Gua Musang for weighing-in, adding that it was a standard operating procedure to ensure the safety of other motorists and reduce the risk of accidents occurring.
“RTD views the negative perceptions of the department seriously, which include insinuations that the department was ‘protecting’ the lorries, shared by the account owner who has tarnished RTD’s reputation without the account owner understanding how the department actually works.
“The department will not hesitate to take further action by lodging a police report if it finds that the accusations affect its credibility and image in conducting its routine duties,” the statement read.
The department said that during the operation, RTD had stopped to inspect 30 timber lorries in front of the Gua Musang district police headquarters before ordering them to submit their cargo for a weigh-in at the Mentara enforcement station under escort of official RTD vehicles, adding that 56 notices were subsequently issued for various offences.
A video depicting RTD vehicles escorting timber lorries in Kelantan went viral yesterday, and elicited various reactions from netizens, with some of them urging the department to explain the matter. – Bernama, January 5, 2022