In a joint drive, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the police seek to rid city roads and pavements of the blight of abandoned vehicles.
On March 14, the Corporation warned that a crackdown on these machines will be launched, following a 15-day grace period. Time is clearly running out for these derelict machines that have usurped space belonging to pedestrians and motorists. The highlight of the initiative is that residents are expected to report abandoned vehicles in their localities.
Before announcing the drive, the Corporation carried out a few exercises:
1. Each of the 15 zones carried out a census of abandoned vehicles within its limits, with the help of field-level officials, including assistant engineers who are in-charge of wards.
On an average, 30 to 40 such vehicles were found in each ward. Most of these abandoned vehicles were found in the added areas of GCC, which include Manali, Ambattur, Sholinganallur, Valasaravakkam and Alandur.
2. The Corporation has also identified spaces to keep the vehicles temporarily, following their removal from roads. The 15 zones have been divided into three regions. A "storage space" in each region has been identified.
3. The Corporation land on Avathana Pappaiya Street in Royapuram will be used for keeping vehicles removed from Zones 1 to 5. Corporation's defunct asphalt mixing plant on Mayor Sathyamoorthy Road will serve as a storage facility for vehicles brought in from Zones 11-15. Vehicles from the other zones will be kept at a section of the landfill site in Pallikaranai.
Key features
*The drive will continue indefinitely
*The government agencies want residents to serve as their eyes, drawing attention to abandoned vehicles
*Once removed from roads, these vehicles will be kept at storage facilities for owners to come forward and claim them
*Vehicles that remain unclaimed will be auctioned
