TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: As many as 100 vehicles lying unclaimed at various places in the city will soon be towed away in a massive cleanup exercise which Panjim traffic police will begin, possibly from Monday.
During a survey, an officer said, they found nearly 100 government and private vehicles parked at various parking lots and other public places for months with no one to claim them. Some vehicles are lying abandoned at open spaces for over a year.
“Besides occupying the parking space, the unclaimed vehicles are also a major security risk,” Traffic Inspector Dharmesh Angle said. Under section 127 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 any motor vehicle which has been abandoned or left unattended at public place for more than 10 hours, has to be removed.
The traffic cell zeroed in on such vehicles after a thorough inspection. “We had classified them into two categories – vehicle under which grass grown and those found parked at one place for a long time,” he explained.
The vehicles will be towed away on a large plot belonging to Corporation of City of Panjim. Before taking up the exercise, the Cell already issued notices to owners to claim their respective vehicles.
“We have sent notices to owners to claim their vehicle(s). It will be released to them on paying a fine and a pre-condition that the vehicle will not be left unattended for a long period…The unclaimed motor vehicles will be sent to the yard,” he said adding that a vehicle owner is given two opportunities to claim his vehicle failing which a First Information Report will be registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code for punitive action against them.
“The unclaimed vehicles will be treated as nuisance. We will discuss with our superiors what could be done with the seized vehicles. Other concerned agencies will also be taken into consideration,” Traffic Police inspector Dharmesh Angle said responding to a question about whether the unclaimed vehicles will be auctioned.
Among the total abandoned motor vehicles, a few are reportedly stolen ones, while in one such case the owner had died in a fatal accident leaving behind his elderly mother who is reportedly not in good health to complete formalities for claiming the ownership.
The department had identified 50 to 55 such vehicles last year, some of which are still lying abandoned. These vehicles will also be picked up and sent to the CCP plot.
