After the civic body tows away an abandoned vehicle, it is taken to a scrap yard. (File photo)
A DRIVE by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to clear roads of abandoned vehicles has earned the civic body a revenue of Rs 1.42 crore. In an 18-month-long drive from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, the civic body’s anti-encroachment department seized 3,418 vehicles abandoned from the city roads. While 2,747 vehicles were auctioned, 59 have been kept aside due to involvement in police cases or because the owners are being traced.
After the civic body tows away an abandoned vehicle, it is taken to a scrap yard. A list of such vehicles is sent to the local and traffic police units and forwarded to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. Police stations are then asked to check missing or stolen car records.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vishawa Shankarrao said: “For almost a week, we leave the vehicles at the spot with a notice pasted on it. If the owner does not contact us, we get the vehicle towed. We seize these abandoned, unclaimed vehicles under Section 314 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. Even after three months of towing a vehicle, if nobody comes forward to claim it, we auction the vehicle under Section 490 (3) of the Act. If owners come forward, we charge a penalty.”
The 3,418 vehicles seized include 2,217 two-wheelers, 300 three-wheelers and 901 four-wheelers. Of these, 612 vehicles were claimed by owners and a total penalty of Rs 46.26 lakh was collected.
mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com
