Karnataka HC fixes timeframe to clear vehicles abandoned by the roadside in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court passed an interim order on Thursday, setting a timeline for clearing unclaimed and abandoned vehicles from the roads and footpaths of Bengaluru city.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice PS Dinesh Kumar issued this directive, considering the affidavits submitted by the BBMP Chief Commissioner and the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Bengaluru City.

During the hearing, Advocate General Shashikiran Shetty informed the court about a collaborative effort between the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the police to address the issue of vehicles parked on roads and footpaths. He stated that abandoned vehicles are being towed away and stored in a designated yard, with efforts underway to contact their owners through the RTO and police channels. Subsequently, permission will be sought from jurisdictional magistrates to auction or scrap such vehicles in accordance with the law.

“In our considered view, the vehicles that are beyond 15 years can be disposed of after 30 days by following procedure and taking permission from the jurisdictional magistrate. Similarly, vehicles between 1-5 years can be disposed of after three months, and vehicles ranging between 5-15 years can be disposed of within two months. The government may seek appropriate directions based on the development in the matter,” the bench said.

The affidavit states that magistrates currently permit disposal of such vehicles after six months, but the state government requested a reduction in this time frame, citing administrative concerns.

BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath disclosed in the affidavit about plans to form teams to identify vehicles obstructing public movement on footpaths, public ways, and roads.

Any vehicle left parked on footpaths or roads for more than 15 days will be considered abandoned, and penalties will be imposed on the registered owners.

Failure to claim these vehicles will result in them being sold as scrap through e-auction processes.

In a separate affidavit, Joint Commissioner (Traffic), Bengaluru City, MN Anucheth highlighted the identification of two acres of land in Mallasandra village, Bengaluru North taluk, to park unclaimed and abandoned vehicles. The affidavit also detailed the number of cases booked for footpath parking and riding.