Bengaluru police move 11,000 seized vehicles off footpaths to city outskirts

Many vehicles have been parked in front of police stations for more than 15 years because of ongoing court trials related to accidents and criminal cases.

As part of the ‘Safe Footpath Campaign’, the Bengaluru police, in coordination with the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), began relocating over 11,000 seized vehicles on Wednesday that were parked near police stations and encroaching on public footpaths.

The operation follows public complaints during meetings with officials regarding areas around police stations turning into makeshift scrapyards and blocking pedestrian walkways.

Officials have identified as many as 11,341 vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers, parked near police stations for batch-wise relocation. The Revenue Department has allotted 26 acres of land across seven locations outside Bengaluru to store the moved vehicles. Vehicle owners involved in ongoing legal cases can claim their vehicles from the new off-site storage locations by presenting a court order.

Bengaluru Urban Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said Wednesday that many vehicles had been parked in front of police stations for over 15 years due to ongoing court trials involving accidents and criminal cases.

“When I spoke to the police department to find a solution, they informed me that they had approached the court requesting to set up a fast-track court to clear the vehicles. However, the court refused. Eventually, I spoke to revenue department officials who helped us in providing land.”

Gowda said efforts to address abandoned vehicles across the city led to notices being issued. A total of 718 vehicles were towed, and these vehicles are set to be auctioned for disposal. “We issued notices for 2,274 abandoned vehicles. The owners came to reclaim their vehicles, but 718 were left behind,” he added.