BENGALURU: Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Wednesday oversaw the shifting of seized vehicles at Jayanagar Police Station to the outskirts of Bengaluru.
The move was part of a bigger initiative undertaken by the minister to clear vehicles that remained impounded at various police stations in the city for a considerable amount of time, following citizen complaints of the vehicles hindering movement around the police stations.
According to Byre Gowda, 11,346 impounded vehicles were identified for removal, and the drive began on Wednesday. Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) officials said some of the vehicles have been part of the impound lots for anywhere between 5 and 15 years.
“Legislators and MPs had also urged us to put an end to this problem. Consequently, we have been holding preparatory meetings for the past two months. Since these vehicles are involved in court cases, we made a special request to clear them. The court had stated that the process could not be fast-tracked, so the Police department requested space to park these vehicles elsewhere.
Upon our request, the Revenue department has allocated 26 acres of land across seven locations around the city,” said Byre Gowda.
The minister, at ground zero in Jayanagar Block 4, termed the atmosphere “junkyard-like” and unsightly. “Moreover, this has become a breeding ground for illegal activities. This is not a recent issue; it has been a problem for 15-20 years. We will shift as many of these vehicles as possible within the coming month,” he said.
Notices have been issued for 2,024 vehicles so far, asking their owners to reclaim them. Vehicles which did not get a response are now being towed. Gowda said several government vehicles had also reached an unusable stage and were occupying space unnecessarily. “I have taken note of this. We will speak to all the departments and take up the process of clearing these vehicles as well,” he said.