Commissioner of Mumbai Police, Subodh Jaiswal writes to BMC chief asking him to allot the open space on Sion-Panvel highway for the purpose
The space near the Sion-Panvel highway, where earlier, the Octroi Naka was located. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
Even as complaints regarding illegally parked vehicles and abandoned ones flood Mumbai Traffic Police’s email and Twitter handle everyday, the cops are faced with a new problem. They have no space to park these vehicles after towing them away. Hence, Commissioner of Mumbai Police, Subodh Jaiswal has written a letter to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Chief Ajoy Mehta requesting him to allot the open space on the Sion-Panvel highway for the purpose, as the place has been lying vacant since the Octroi Naka shut down.
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Speaking to mid-day, a senior police officer said, "On an average 300-400 abandoned and illegally parked vehicles are towed away daily. Our email and Twitter handle are flooded with complaints from citizens, but the space crunch in the city is restricting us from taking action against offenders. In order to take action, we need to park the seized vehicles, and that is where the problem starts."
According to sources, in the last three months more than 1,500 vehicles have been towed away by cops from across the city. Apart from this, local police have also seized a number of vehicles related to accidents, thefts and as part of property recovery. Many of these vehicles are gathering dust outside police stations.
For instance, due to lack of space near Vakola police station, cops have kept piles of cars on a crane. Some defunct cars recovered several years ago have been lying outside the Bandra police station, leading to severe traffic problems in the area.
A source from the CP’s office said, "A letter has been sent to BMC commissioner for the vacant space on the Sion-Panvel highway near Mankhurd. If we get the space, then the seized vehicles can be parked there, and we can also start the auction process for the abandoned ones. This will also help us free up space in other parts of the city and ensure smooth traffic movement."
When contacted, Joint CP Traffic, Amitesh Kumar, said, "We need space to park the abandoned vehicles till the time we start the auction process, and we have requested BMC to provide the same. The vehicles that have been towed away in the past three months are lying near different police stations. If we have to continue taking action against offenders, then we need space to keep those vehicles. At present, we don’t have it."
Despite repeated attempts to contact BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, he remained unavailable for comment.
Register a complaint
To register complaints regarding abandoned and illegally parked vehicles, citizens can call on the helpline number – 8454999999 or write through:
Email: complaint.mumtraffic@mahapolice.gov.in
Website: https://trafficpolicemumbai.maharashtra.gov.in/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MumbaiPolice
WhatsApp: MTP App
The owners of illegally parked and abandoned vehicles are booked under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, Central Motor Vehicles Rules, and the Maharashtra Police Act.
- 300-400: No. of vehicles that are towed away daily
- 1,500: No. of vehicles that have been towed away in the last three months
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