Bengaluru, July 10 (IANS) Karnataka Minister for Bengaluru Development Krishna Byre Gowda on Friday launched a special drive to clear abandoned vehicles from roadsides and footpaths by pasting notices on such vehicles and locking their tyres, beginning with Queen’s Road in Bengaluru.

Launching the campaign, the minister said abandoned vehicles had encroached on public spaces, making it difficult for pedestrians to use footpaths and contributing to the city’s poor appearance.

“People leave their old vehicles abandoned on public roads for months. In many cases, we do not even know who the owners are. It is an offence to abandon vehicles wherever one wants. This is one of the reasons Bengaluru looks cluttered, and pedestrians are forced to suffer,” he said.

Krishna Byre Gowda personally pasted a notice on an abandoned vehicle and locked one of its tyres as part of the campaign. He said the government had issued a public warning 15 days ago, informing vehicle owners that abandoned vehicles would be removed.

“Despite the warning, many people have not responded. Therefore, we have started this operation,” he said.

The minister said the Traffic Police have identified 1,571 abandoned vehicles parked on roadsides and footpaths across the city, adding that the list is not exhaustive.

He said the operation is being jointly carried out by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the city’s civic corporations and the Bengaluru Traffic Police.

Under the drive, notices will be pasted on identified vehicles, giving owners one week to remove them. Owners can reclaim their vehicles by paying a penalty of Rs 500 during this period.

“If the vehicles are not removed within a week, they will be towed. Even after towing, owners can reclaim them by paying the towing charges and the prescribed penalty. If they still fail to do so, notices will be published in newspapers, and after 15 days, the vehicles will be auctioned. Anyone can participate in the auction and purchase them,” he said.

The minister said the authorities have locked the tyres of vehicles served with notices to prevent them from being moved without permission.

He also warned that owners who shift their abandoned vehicles from one public road to another to avoid action could face stricter penalties.

“I have instructed the police to examine stricter penalties for repeat offenders. It should not become a situation where someone pays a small fine and simply abandons the vehicle elsewhere,” he said.

Krishna Byre Gowda urged citizens to report abandoned vehicles through the Traffic Police’s Astram app, stating that similar action would be initiated against such vehicles after verification.

“There should be a behavioural change in Bengaluru. People cannot treat public roads as private parking spaces. Roads belong to everyone and must be respected. While this action may upset some vehicle owners, it is necessary in the larger public interest,” he said.

He clarified that the drive is not intended to target vehicles parked for a day or two.

“We are not targeting vehicles that have been parked temporarily. The focus is on vehicles abandoned for long periods. It is practically impossible to prohibit vehicles from being parked on roads altogether, especially since mandatory off-street parking norms were not enforced for decades,” he said.

The minister said the current penalty is uniform for two-wheelers, cars and other vehicles, while towing charges are expected to be around Rs 1,000.

He added that the Bengaluru South civic corporation has already begun towing vehicles parked in no-parking zones and that the initiative will be expanded to other parts of the city in a phased manner, beginning with arterial roads. He said parking rules would be enforced more strictly to ensure that public roads and footpaths remain free from encroachments.

–IANS

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