Bengaluru has begun shifting 11,346 vehicles seized by police from station premises to government land on the city’s outskirts, in an effort to clear pavements, reduce obstruction and address complaints about long-term vehicle accumulation around police stations. Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda launched the relocation drive at Jayanagar Police Station on 16 September 2026.
The initiative is being carried out jointly by the police and revenue departments. According to the minister, the vehicles have remained around police stations for years, with some linked to court cases that prevent authorities from disposing of them. Since the cases cannot be cleared through a fast-track process, the immediate plan is to move the vehicles to separate parking locations until the relevant legal proceedings are resolved.
The revenue department has provided seven sites covering 26 acres for the relocation, Byre Gowda said. The shifting operation began from Jayanagar Police Station, where the minister was accompanied by Jayanagar MLA C.K. Ramamurthy. The minister said the administration expects to move as many vehicles as possible within one month.
The move follows complaints from residents who said vehicles parked around police stations were restricting movement and affecting access to pavements. Byre Gowda said the administration had also received requests from legislators and Members of Parliament to clear the seized vehicles. Preparatory meetings for the operation had been held over the previous two months, according to his statement.
The minister linked the drive to a wider effort to address persistent problems affecting daily life in Bengaluru, including clearing footpaths, towing abandoned vehicles and removing debris. He said the accumulation of seized vehicles had continued for 15 to 20 years and had created what he described as a scrap-like environment around some police stations. He also said such spaces could contribute to unauthorised activities.
The relocation will not amount to disposal of the vehicles. Byre Gowda said vehicles involved in court cases cannot be removed permanently until the courts grant permission or the cases are resolved. Moving them to the designated sites is therefore intended to free space at police stations while preserving the vehicles during the legal process.
The minister also said notices had been placed on 2,024 vehicles, but their owners had not come forward to collect them. These vehicles are being towed as part of the broader clearance effort. He further said some government vehicles had become unusable and that discussions with different departments would be held to remove such vehicles as well.
The operation places the police and revenue departments at the centre of a problem that has combined legal delays, limited station space and the absence of organised storage for seized vehicles. The administration’s next stated milestone is to complete as much of the relocation as possible within the coming month, while vehicles tied to court proceedings remain subject to legal orders.
