Cops See No Way out of Parked Vehicle Trap

Seized, unclaimed, stolen and disputed vehicles in possession of police stations in the city have become a burden not just for the Police Department but also for the public.
Cops See No Way out of Parked Vehicle Trap

It might be better to impose fines than confiscating the vehicles violating traffic rules as the city has only the main roads to park them. Seized, unclaimed, stolen and disputed vehicles in possession of police stations in the city have become a burden not just for the Police Department but also the public.

 Owing to the lack of space to park confiscated vehicles, they are parked on and outside the police station premises, adversely affecting motorists and commuters, especially during the peak hours. The police stations that come under the city limits and the city traffic station are located near  busy roads. At least a minimum 50 vehicles that were confiscated are parked in front of each police station.

  Earlier, the vehicles were parked on the police station premises as the number of vehicles was less then. However, with an increase in the number of vehicles, it is now difficult to park them there. The increasing number of confiscated vehicles on the station premises is also creating inconvenience to the station staff as well as visitors.

 However, no solution to the problem is in sight.  The  police department has found it impossible to auction off the vehicles that were pledged as security with various financial institutions. Most of the vehicles are stuck in one legal tangle or the other.

 According to officials, space shortage poses a major problem in confiscating a vehicle now. The vehicles that were seized earlier include those plying without proper documents.

 A police official who preferred to remain anonymous said that the seized vehicles were affecting the work environment at the police stations too. He also said it has become a serious problem for the police personnel too. “We cannot just sell the vehicles as we require a permission from the court to do so. Some of the vehicles were used by those who committed crimes and others were involved in accidents and some seized vehicles were handed over to the police by the other departments, including the Regional Transport Office,” he added.

 In case of vehicles that were involved in accidents, the badly damaged ones are not claimed by the owners as they get reimbursed for the damage by the insurance company. In cases of theft, the number plates of vehicles would have been changed and the owners are often untraceable.

 When contacted, Traffic (South) Assistant Commissioner P Mohanan said that till now no steps have been taken to auction off the vehicles, especially the ones near the Pattom traffic police station.

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