BMC seizes 782 vehicles abandoned on Mumbai roads, to auction soon

In the last week, all the ward officers along with the encroachment removal officer were instructed by BMC chief to take stringent action against unattended vehicles

After sending notices to the owners of over 2,000 abandoned vehicle owners last week, BMC has seized 783 unattended vehicles on roads. The corporation doesn't have enough space to store such vehicles and have decided to auction them as soon as possible, after following the due procedure, the officials said.

Unattended vehicles in public places not only obstruct the traffic but also create issues in sweeping roads.

"The BMC administration had to put in extra efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a strain on the available manpower. Hence, the task of taking action against unattended vehicles on the road was entrusted to the traffic police by the corporation," said a BMC official.

As the COVID restrictions have been relaxed and normal traffic has resumed, the municipal administration is receiving a large number of complaints regarding unattended vehicles.

In the last week, all the ward officers along with the encroachment removal officer were instructed by Municipal Commissioner I S Chahal to take stringent action against unattended vehicles. The meeting was attended by the deputy commissioner of police (traffic), assistant commissioner of police (traffic) and senior inspectors of police (traffic), among others.

"There was a limit to the number of vehicles that could be parked on the road, mainly due to lack of space. Additional Municipal Commissioner Dr Sanjeev Kumar instructed the traffic police that the responsibility of disposal of abandoned vehicles and the towed vehicles should be handed over to the corporation," said an official.

"The capacity of most of the space available to the corporation for parking of unattended vehicles has exhausted. So we decided to auction the earlier seized vehicles after obtaining the permission of the traffic police and other government agencies concerned," said Chanda Jadhav, deputy municipal commissioner (Encroachment Removal). All the assistant commissioners were asked to send information regarding the space available in their respective wards and the existing vehicles.

Dr Kumar had directed all the assistant commissioners to obtain all the necessary permissions within 15 days for the auction of the previously seized vehicles.
After the meeting, the BMC had issued notices to 2,381 vehicle owners across the city last week. Of which, 379 vehicle owners have removed their vehicles. A total of 782 vehicles, including 314 two-wheelers, 286 three-wheelers and 182 four-wheelers have been seized by the municipal administration. If no response is received within the stipulated time, the confiscated vehicles will be auctioned following due procedure.

2,381
No. of vehicle owners who got notice last week