Bengaluru civic authorities have removed 143 abandoned and unattended vehicles from roadsides and footpaths in the South city corporation limits, following a special clearance drive carried out with the traffic police. The vehicles were removed after they were found obstructing public movement, according to municipal commissioner K.N. Ramesh.
The operation followed the identification of 595 vehicles parked on roadsides and pedestrian footpaths across the corporation area. The vehicles included those classified as abandoned as well as vehicles linked to identifiable owners, the commissioner said.
Civic officials pasted notices on 458 of the identified vehicles, giving owners an opportunity to respond. Of these, 195 vehicles were released after their owners were fined, according to the information provided by the municipal commissioner.
The remaining vehicles were dealt with after the notice period expired. Owners did not come forward even seven days after the notices were pasted, following which 143 vehicles were shifted to a dumping yard designated for abandoned vehicles. The municipal authorities said another 110 vehicles still pending action would be towed.
The drive covered several divisions in the southern part of Bengaluru. Officials removed 13 vehicles in the Padmanabhanagar division, 36 in Jayanagar, 17 across Anjanapura and Begur, 23 in BTM Layout, 33 in Bommanahalli and 21 in the HSR Layout division.
The figures show that the enforcement action was not limited to a single location or a small cluster of vehicles. It extended across multiple municipal divisions where parked vehicles were reported to be interfering with public movement. The operation was conducted in coordination with the traffic police, which supported the civic authorities in clearing the obstructions.
The process also combined enforcement with an opportunity for vehicle owners to reclaim their vehicles. Owners who responded to the notices were required to pay fines before their vehicles were released. Those who did not respond within seven days faced relocation of their vehicles to the dumping yard.
For pedestrians, vehicles occupying footpaths can reduce the space available for walking and force people to move closer to active traffic lanes. Roadside parking can also restrict carriageway space and complicate movement for other road users. The civic operation targeted vehicles that authorities said were creating such public obstructions.
The action places responsibility on the municipal corporation and traffic police to continue identifying vehicles, issuing notices, collecting applicable fines and removing vehicles when owners do not respond. The next stated step is the towing of the remaining 110 vehicles identified for clearance within the corporation limits.
