Bengaluru begins towing abandoned vehicles in Gandhinagar after warning period

On Saturday, Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda initiated a towing drive to remove unclaimed and abandoned vehicles from the roadside near the Varahi Temple in M D Block, within the Gandhinagar Assembly Constituency. The drive, conducted in coordination with Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) officials and the Bengaluru Traffic Police Department, marks the beginning of active enforcement against vehicle owners who ignore warnings to clear the streets.

The enforcement action follows a city-wide campaign that was flagged off on July 11. During the launch of that campaign, Minister Gowda personally pasted warning stickers on abandoned vehicles along Queens Road, giving owners a one-week grace period to remove their property. Having given ample warning, the GBA began towing the remaining vehicles on Saturday.

According to Minister Gowda, the towed vehicles are being moved to designated locations. To reclaim their property, owners will be required to pay a heavy penalty. If a vehicle is not claimed within 15 days of being towed, the GBA will proceed to auction it off.

Data from the Bengaluru Traffic Police Department, gathered using the Astram software, revealed that 2,751 abandoned vehicles have been identified for action across the city's five corporations. The initiative also saw active participation from the public, who used reporting options to identify an additional 1,498 abandoned vehicles, bringing the total number of flagged vehicles to 4,249.

A senior GBA official confirmed that notices have already been affixed to 1,034 abandoned vehicles across the five city corporations. Thus far, the owners of 72 vehicles have paid the prescribed penalty to reclaim their vehicles.

The drive on Saturday was attended by several high-ranking officials, including Central City Corporation Additional Commissioner Venkata Chalapathi, Joint Commissioner Hemanth Sharan, and Chief Engineer Vijay Kumar Haridas, alongside other representatives from the civic body.