Mumbai: Report abandoned vehicles through SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail

TusharK · 20th July 2018, 15:41

The Bombay High Court has notified the Maharashtra state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to setup a toll-free number and email account for citizens to report abandoned vehicles before September 19, 2018.

Mumbai: Report abandoned vehicles through SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail-unidentified-import.jpg

The court has asked the authorities to maintain a record of the complaints received on the toll-free number as well as through email, WhatsApp and SMS along with complaint numbers and the action taken. The government has been asked to book the owners of the abandoned vehicles under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, Motor Vehicles Rule and the Maharashtra Police Act.

Once a complaint is received, the BMC can seize the vehicles under Section 314 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1884. At first, a notice will be pasted on the vehicle and if it is not moved in the next 48 hours, the vehicle will be towed away to a scrapyard. A list of seized vehicles is sent to the local and traffic police and the Crime Branch to check if it has been reported stolen. If nobody claims the vehicle after 3 months, the BMC auctions it off. If an owner does come forward, he/she is charged a fine of Rs. 15,000 per vehicle.

Source: Mumbai Mirror

Link to Team-BHP News

ghodlur · 20th July 2018, 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by TusharK

The court has asked the authorities to maintain a record of the complaints received on the toll-free number as well as through email, WhatsApp and SMS along with complaint numbers and the action taken.

That's a good move by the BMC. Why does the BMC have to wait till September 19 to announce the toll free nos? Do they expect that owners of the rotting vehicle will clear them from the roads? There is nothing mentioned about cancellation of the RC of such vehicles also, I hope the mechanism takes care of the same too.

Ragavsr · 20th July 2018, 17:54

I had posted on this before on another thread but I will do it again.

1. This country, which doesn't have a proper law to report the sale of the vehicle to an RTO. The seller can't be running behind and there is no law to force the buyer to transfer the vehicle . First fox that, before going after abandoned vehicles.

2. The police can't be entrusted with massive powers like this before rooting out the corruption.

3. I will get the cops will tow away the vehicle the second they arrive on the scene. The 48 hour notice mentioned will for all practical reasons be imaginary.

4. 15k fine will tempt corrupt cops to tow any vehicle parked on the street without any notice to milk a bribe.

5. While this law applies to only public roads, nothing will stop corrupt cops from threatening owners of vehicles parked on private land. Especially vehicles whose FC has expired.

This has happened in Ooty . Innocent owners of heritage vehicles were extorted by cops into selling their vehicles despite the law clearly saying that registration of vehicles and by their extension FC is not required for vehicles inside a private land.

What would stop a cunning neighbor from reporting my car parked in front of my house, say a spare car, just to grab the parking spot. Folks , in Bombay might not understand this as they might live in apartments. But in streets with individual houses, this is a big issue that lead to fights, when the cops launched a similar drive here in Chennai.

Viraj_Guru · 20th July 2018, 19:24

A very good decision as the public roads become narrower because of abandoned cars or illegally parked vehicles and eventually results in traffic jams.

Actually, it should have been applied to every major city if not already, because my local street in Pune got road widening last year from 20ft to 30ft. I was so happy, but after a couple of months, the available road again became 20ft due to illegal parking and abandoned vehicles

vivekgk · 21st July 2018, 09:34

Excellent. I think this should be done nationwide. There are too many cars rotting to nothingness and taking up parking space. If they are taken away and auctioned, at least they will be put to some use. But measures must be put in place to ensure that the timelines are observed and that this isn't misused by dealers trying to make a quick buck. Auctions should be conducted online.

20th July 2018, 15:41	#1
TusharK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Pune Posts: 6,265 Thanked: 55,805 Times	Mumbai: Report abandoned vehicles through SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail The Bombay High Court has notified the Maharashtra state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to setup a toll-free number and email account for citizens to report abandoned vehicles before September 19, 2018. The court has asked the authorities to maintain a record of the complaints received on the toll-free number as well as through email, WhatsApp and SMS along with complaint numbers and the action taken. The government has been asked to book the owners of the abandoned vehicles under the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, Motor Vehicles Rule and the Maharashtra Police Act. Once a complaint is received, the BMC can seize the vehicles under Section 314 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1884. At first, a notice will be pasted on the vehicle and if it is not moved in the next 48 hours, the vehicle will be towed away to a scrapyard. A list of seized vehicles is sent to the local and traffic police and the Crime Branch to check if it has been reported stolen. If nobody claims the vehicle after 3 months, the BMC auctions it off. If an owner does come forward, he/she is charged a fine of Rs. 15,000 per vehicle. Source: Mumbai Mirror Link to Team-BHP News Last edited by TusharK : 20th July 2018 at 15:42.
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20th July 2018, 17:54	#3
Ragavsr BHPian Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Chennai Posts: 469 Thanked: 1,188 Times	Re: Mumbai: Report abandoned vehicles through SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail I had posted on this before on another thread but I will do it again. 1. This country, which doesn't have a proper law to report the sale of the vehicle to an RTO. The seller can't be running behind and there is no law to force the buyer to transfer the vehicle . First fox that, before going after abandoned vehicles. 2. The police can't be entrusted with massive powers like this before rooting out the corruption. 3. I will get the cops will tow away the vehicle the second they arrive on the scene. The 48 hour notice mentioned will for all practical reasons be imaginary. 4. 15k fine will tempt corrupt cops to tow any vehicle parked on the street without any notice to milk a bribe. 5. While this law applies to only public roads, nothing will stop corrupt cops from threatening owners of vehicles parked on private land. Especially vehicles whose FC has expired. This has happened in Ooty . Innocent owners of heritage vehicles were extorted by cops into selling their vehicles despite the law clearly saying that registration of vehicles and by their extension FC is not required for vehicles inside a private land. What would stop a cunning neighbor from reporting my car parked in front of my house, say a spare car, just to grab the parking spot. Folks , in Bombay might not understand this as they might live in apartments. But in streets with individual houses, this is a big issue that lead to fights, when the cops launched a similar drive here in Chennai. Last edited by Ragavsr : 20th July 2018 at 17:59.
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20th July 2018, 19:24	#4
Viraj_Guru BHPian Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Pune Posts: 26 Thanked: 50 Times	Re: Mumbai: Report abandoned vehicles through SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail A very good decision as the public roads become narrower because of abandoned cars or illegally parked vehicles and eventually results in traffic jams. Actually, it should have been applied to every major city if not already, because my local street in Pune got road widening last year from 20ft to 30ft. I was so happy, but after a couple of months, the available road again became 20ft due to illegal parking and abandoned vehicles Last edited by GTO : 22nd July 2018 at 17:30. Reason: Poor language & grammar
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21st July 2018, 09:34	#5
vivekgk BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 984 Thanked: 1,986 Times View My Garage	Re: Mumbai: Report abandoned vehicles through SMS, WhatsApp, e-mail Excellent. I think this should be done nationwide. There are too many cars rotting to nothingness and taking up parking space. If they are taken away and auctioned, at least they will be put to some use. But measures must be put in place to ensure that the timelines are observed and that this isn't misused by dealers trying to make a quick buck. Auctions should be conducted online.
	() Thanks