Drive launched to tow away abandoned vehicles on streets, public spaces in Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jul 18 (PTI) With the seven-day notice period coming to an end, authorities in Bengaluru on Saturday launched a drive to tow away abandoned vehicles encroaching on streets and public spaces in the city. The move came a week after a special drive was launched by GBA and Traffic Police on July 10, to remove abandoned vehicles by affixing notices on them. The towing drive was launched on Saturday by Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda in Gandhi Nagar, under the jurisdiction of the Greater Bengaluru Authority's Central City Municipal Corporation. According to officials, the initiative aims to restore pedestrian pathways, improve public safety, and make it easier for citizens to move around. The drive is part of the ongoing efforts to keep Bengaluru's footpaths free from obstructions and make the city's public spaces more accessible and pedestrian-friendly. The notices affixed on abandoned vehicles granted the owner seven days to remove them. A wheel clamp was also fitted to the vehicle when the notice is affixed, officials said. The vehicles not claimed and removed within the seven-day notice period, are now being towed and seized by the joint operational authorities, they said. All seized vehicles will be put up for public auction as per statutory guidelines, they added. Speaking to reporters, Gowda said the drive will continue and vehicles will be towed away as soon as their notice period ends. "Roads are public property. However, some people park their vehicles along the roadside and leave them there for years, treating public roads as if they were their own property. This causes inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians and also creates artificial traffic congestion. Therefore, a campaign to affix a notice in the form of a sticker was launched last Friday to notify owners to remove such vehicles," he said. Gowda said that since many owners failed to remove their vehicles even after the notices were affixed, the towing operation for these vehicles was launched today. "The towed vehicles will be kept at a GBA-linked facility for 15 more days and a notification will also be published in newspapers. If the owners still fail to retrieve their vehicles, we will be forced to auction and sell them," he said, requesting people not to abandon vehicles on streets and public spaces. Noting that a total of 4,249 abandoned vehicles have been identified so far, the minister said, traffic police have identified 2,751 vehicles, and the public identified 1,498 vehicles through the traffic police's "Astram" app. "I appeal to people to report through the app." "Across the five City Corporations under the GBA, notices have been affixed to 1,034 abandoned vehicles. So far, 72 vehicle owners have paid the prescribed penalty and reclaimed their vehicles," he added. Last week, the GBA and Traffic Police had also issued a public notice for the removal and auction of abandoned vehicles on streets and public spaces. As per the notice, the five City Corporations commenced the drive in accordance with Section 324 of the GBA Act, 2024. PTI KSU KH