TIRUCHY: The recent anti-encroachment drive in Tiruchy has left many abandoned vehicles on the roadside untouched. Officials from the Tiruchy city corporation often ignore these vehicles during such drives.
Some vehicle owners treat vacant spaces beside roads as private property, using them to park their old and damaged vehicles. However, neither the police nor the corporation has taken action against these violators.
In October 2022, the police conducted an inspection of abandoned vehicles after a cylinder blast in Coimbatore, seizing a few vehicles. Since then, though, both the police and the corporation have allowed the situation to continue, giving vehicle owners the freedom to park in vacant areas near Puthur Junction, Woraiyur, and other locations.
Vehicles involved in accidents can often be seen left beside roads near police stations, including the Cantonment station. The civic body cannot act on these cases because the vehicles are kept by the police.
A senior police official said, "The vehicles involved in cases and kept in public places will be directed to be shifted to station premises. We will inquire about this issue."
In Palakkarai and nearby areas, some vehicle scrap dealers have been found storing two-wheelers in vacant spaces, even under transformers. Although the corporation took action against some of these dealers in January 2024, they soon returned to their old practices.
"The Tiruchy corporation has been trying many innovative beautification plans to stop littering under transformers and in other public places. So, why are there no such actions in Palakkarai? The encroachment clearance drive is a gimmick and done for publicity," stated Palakkarai resident Sameer Sha.
When TNIE raised this issue with a senior corporation official, he said that it can only be resolved through a joint effort.
"We will take stern action on scrap dealers stocking vehicles in public places. But in the case of abandoned vehicles, we will need police assistance to clear and identify the owners. We will soon have a discussion with zonal officials and come up with an action plan," the official said.