Seized vehicles lay unclaimed as the auction process is set to resume | R Satish Babu
Seized vehicles lay unclaimed as the auction process is set to resume | R Satish Babu

After pandemic hiatus, Chennai cops to resume auction of impounded vehicles

A senior city traffic police officer said the process began in July and they are expediting the process.

CHENNAI: Thousands of impounded vehicles, mostly two-wheelers, that are gathering dust at various police stations in the city will be auctioned soon. The process put on hold due to the pandemic and other issues resumed, said the police.

Vehicles including autorickshaws, mini trucks, cars and lorries are lying idle at the police stations for years and have rusted. In North Chennai alone, there are over 500 vehicles at 16 police stations. The police said most of these vehicles are stolen and seized. The concerned person does not bother to come for the vehicle as this is not theirs. So, these vehicles are unclaimed and start rusting.

A city traffic police officer said, “Seized vehicles are generally disposed of through auctions and sold to scrap dealers in case the condition is beyond repair. But for the past two years, it was put on hold due to the lockdown. We’ll finish the process as soon as possible.”

The officer said hundreds of vehicles are seized annually and some people pay fines and take back their vehicles in a day or two. When the offence is serious, the case goes to court and it may take years before the verdict. Instead of paying fines, they abandon the vehicles and buy new ones, he said.

Talking about the auction process, the officer said first the list of vehicles will be published in the district gazette. Then a team comprising tahsildar, RTO and experts will access and assign a value to each vehicle. If the owner decides to take back his vehicles, the person has to pay the stipulated fine within 90 days of the publication of the list.“ After the 90-day mark, if the vehicles are unclaimed, they will be put up for auction,” the officer said.

A senior city traffic police officer said the process began in July and they are expediting the process.A 57-year-old man on condition of anonymity said, “If the auction is done sooner then at least these vehicles will be used by others. Otherwise, these vehicles will rust in the police station.”

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