Dusty, rusty and old, these wheels have to move

CHENNAI: The city is filled with vehicles of every kind creating a nuisance for commuters and pedestrians. Not the ones that ply on the roads but those that have been discarded and abandoned alongside the main roads and streets.

These vehicles are parked in every nook and corner of the capital city, obstructing main roads, footpaths, and even alleyways and posing safety risks. It has also turned into a spot for illegal activities.

Denizens fume that these abandoned vehicles, most of which are rotting away and gathering dust, occupy prime slots in the city while they struggle to find parking space at any time of the day. They urge the authorities to remove such vehicles and use it for scrap so that the space can be utilised for development purposes.

Unwelcome come-back

Though the civic body has been removing such vehicles for the last six months and keeping them at a dedicated spot in each zone, they are kept along the side of the roads ​which inconveniences the public.

There are many junk vehicles on MCM Garden Road in Old Washermenpet which have not been removed by the Corporation, although residents have raised the issue with the authorities. While re-laying damaged roads across the city, the civic body shifts these abandoned vehicles to the adjacent street in the neighbourhood. After the works are completed, the local body workers shift them back to it​’s original place.

“These vehicles are a breeding ground for rats and mosquitoes. Plus, the menace never really goes away. For instance, if the Corporation has a certain number of scrap vehicles to be removed in the city, of which only 200-300 vehicles are cleared, within a few days, the same place is filled with two-wheelers and autos,” pointed out Ramesh Ramadoss, a resident and civic activist of north Chennai. “The Corporation has failed to enforce the rule and a penalty, which is one of the main reasons the nuisance continues.”

He added that abandoned vehicles near Royapuram bridge are being used for illegal activities. “Prohibited items are stored in those vehicles. It’s a safety risk for denizens,” stated Ramesh. “Almost everyone owns a vehicle these days. Since many residential areas don’t have adequate parking space, owners end up parking them wherever they find space and, don’t remove it.”

Traffic chaos

The problem in Mannady seems to be a lost cause as abandoned vehicles can be seen on almost every road and street. Adding to the problems are seized abandoned vehicles parked around the police booth near the Mint bus terminus. “Already the roads are narrow and congested even during non-peak hours.

Now, with the seized-vehicles parked around the police booth, traffic gridlock happens all the time. We’ve been raising complaints about it to the local body for years but there hasn’t been any permanent resolution,” lamented D Deenadayalan, a resident of Mannady. “Also, the spot where these vehicles are parked is being used for illegal activities.

Authorities are aware of it and yet, no action has been taken against violators.” Abandoned vehicles are also found on footpaths and empty lands. Several ward councillors have raised grievances about it saying that these spots are the major reason for vector-borne diseases.

“Though multiple petitions were given to the zonal officials, there has been no response,” rued D Elango (alias) Elaya Aruna, chairman of the standing committee (town planning). Similarly, these vehicles have become a burden in various interior streets especially school zones in Mylapore, Broadway, Vallalar Nagar, Ethiraj Salai and Perambur.

Since there is no parking space due to uncleared vehicles on the main roads, commuters encroach upon whatever space they find in the interior streets, and park there all day. “Both the Corporation and police have not cleared these vehicles for several months. The local body laid the road recently without seizing these vehicles,” said V Sathiabalan, a resident of Pattalam. “Due to the ongoing Metro Rail work in the area, Strahans Road has been operated as a one-way. So, the main road is congested.

It would help commuters if the authorities remove these encroached abandoned vehicles on New Farrance Road.” Additionally, at night, college buses and tempo lorries are parked around the newly-inaugurated Chengai Sivam Bridge in the area. Public are concerned that if the authorities failed to take steps now, even the bridge would be encroached by the vehicles.

Corporation’s response

In the 2023-2024 budget report, Mayor Priya Rajan had acknowledged that abandoned vehicles inconvenience the public and lead to traffic congestion. Also, people use the place for dumping garbage, which makes it difficult for workers to clean the area.

So, she had announced that the number of abandoned vehicles would be counted and identified, and appropriate action would be taken to remove them.

Though the drive is going on, seized vehicles haven’t been auctioned yet. And, there is no announcement about these vehicles for the upcoming fiscal year despite complaints from ward councillors and residents.

A senior official with GCC told DT Next that along with the city police, the drive to remove abandoned vehicles has been going on for the last six months. “Each ward has designated spaces for keeping abandoned vehicles. Additionally, there are two spots in the Perungudi zone to park these seized vehicles. However, the auction process has not commenced yet; it’s expected to be done at the earliest,” added the official.

Concurring with the official on removing abandoned vehicles, a city cop said: “Whenever we get complaints on unclaimed or abandoned vehicles from residents or the civic body, we tow them and keep them on empty grounds in our jurisdiction. These vehicles will be sold off in a public auction.”