THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Accumulation of vehicles entangled in legal cases in and around police stations in the state capital has become a major inconvenience for the city’s residents.
The lack of designated space or storage areas for the impounded vehicles is proving to be a significant challenge for the police. Most police stations present a grim sight as their premises are cluttered with these vehicles.
In some stations, vehicles have been gathering dust for years, encroaching on busy roads and pedestrian pathways. Many of these corroding vehicles were seized long ago in connection with crimes, or entrusted to the police for safekeeping by the court or other departments.
An officer at the Museum police station highlights the shortage of space on station premises and prolonged court proceedings. “Some cases take years, and until the trial is complete, we must keep the vehicles in safe custody,” the officer adds, requesting anonymity.
“Although higher authorities have spoken of decisions to address the issue, they have not been effective on the ground. The number of vehicles continues to rise.”
The impounded vehicles parked around the Museum police station are causing considerable inconvenience to nearby residents. “There is no space for the common folk to park their vehicles because the ones in custody have been haphazardly parked on the roadside,” says Mehboob A K, an executive member of the Heera Golden Hills Association.
“It’s a densely populated area, used by hundreds every day. There’s no space to walk or park. Traffic congestion is another issue. This road was developed at great expense under the Smart City project, but the public continues to suffer daily. We have raised this issue with the police many times, and recently met with the city police commissioner. They always promise to resolve this, but nothing changes.”
Earlier, the police used land in Poonthura to keep vehicles, but this was stopped due to increasing theft incidents.
The officers concerned, meanwhile, maintain that many of the vehicles at the traffic station have been auctioned or disposed of. “We are in the process of identifying unclaimed and abandoned vehicles in public places and have found about 100 so far,” says Assistant Commissioner R Suresh (Traffic - South).
“We will be sending three notices to the vehicle owners, and if there is no response, we will auction the vehicles. The process is ongoing.”
QR coding
The police department is preparing to introduce a QR code system for abandoned and custody vehicles at police stations.
“We usually use markers to write the crime number of the case on the vehicles. The prolonged delay in completing trials is one of the major reasons for the accumulation of vehicles at stations. Some vehicles have been lying here for 10 or 15 years,” explains City Police Commissioner G Sparjan Kumar.
“The crime number we write on these vehicles fades over time, so we are planning to introduce QR codes. Upon scanning, officers will be able to check the case status, and if it’s settled, notices will be sent to the owners. If they don’t respond, those vehicles will be treated as unclaimed and will be disposed of eventually.”
It is reported that vehicles seized by other departments, including excise and revenue, are also kept at police stations.
“The situation has improved compared to previous years. We have issued strict instructions to all police stations across the state to dispose of unclaimed vehicles,” says an officer at the police headquarters.
“There is a Supreme Court order that allows the transfer of vehicles to the owner under strict conditions that they will produce those whenever the court demands.”