To solve all the issues and queries related to establishing a scrap yard for abandoned vehicles at Mahul, the Department of Removal of Encroachment (RE), Development and Planning (DP) Department, Mumbai Parking Authority (MPA), and additional municipal commissioner will conduct a meeting after Dashera.
Earlier, the officials from RE had mentioned that the land which was allotted for the scrap yard is located in a hilly area and it is difficult to set up machinery and transport vehicles there.
After innumerable complaints from citizens against abandoned vehicles, the BMC has initiated strict action against such vehicles in the month of March.
Then the civic body issued notices to 2,381 vehicle owners to remove their vehicles parked near city roads. Of these, 379 owners responded, and BMC seized 782 abandoned vehicles, including 314 two-wheelers, 286 three-wheelers, and 182 four-wheelers.
Citizens have complained that these vehicles create obstructions to regular traffic and attract anti-social elements.
In March, a meeting was conducted between various departments of the BMC and Mumbai police. The issues, such as lack of space and the requirement for a scrap yard, were raised.
Then, all assistant commissioners were given orders to keep abandoned vehicles in their wards and auction them off within a month of their owners' failure to respond to notices.
Following that, BMC intended to build a scrap yard. The RE department received a suggestion for a 10,000 sq. ft. area at Mahul, but this land is on a hill and rough.
According to the engineer of RE, "It is difficult to set up machinery for scrap and to bring vehicles to hilly areas. The existing land belongs to SRA and we have told SRA to tell the developer who has taken TDR from them to make the land usable for scrap yard. "
The idea behind the scrap yard is to dismantle the vehicles following environmental norms. BMC does not know how the firms that are buying these abandoned vehicles will scrap them. They give an undertaking that mentions they will follow all the norms, but no one checks it.
BMC has a plan to appoint a firm that will set up machinery and dismantle vehicles according to environmental pollution norms, out of which BMC will also get some benefit after giving a scrap yard to firms on lease.
The officer of the RE department said they earlier approached M. East Ward officer and requested them to construct a wall around the given area.
He further said, " Because of the Ganesh festival, the process was slow. After Dashera, we will plan to fix a meeting with the Additional Municipal Commissioner (Project), DP officers, MPA officers, and Removal of Encroachment (RE) officers and decide the future course of action for the scrap yard.
