Navi Mumbai: In a concerted effort to combat the issue of abandoned vehicles throughout the city, the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) has taken proactive measures. To date, PMC has issued notices pertaining to 125 vehicles, with 74 of them subsequently seized. These actions are a result of a comprehensive survey conducted across four civic wards.
During a recent review meeting with the municipal commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh, Deputy Commissioner Dr. Vaibhav Viddate revealed that nine of the confiscated vehicles have been reclaimed by their owners following the payment of fines.
This initiative, initiated by PMC in June, focuses on addressing the problem of abandoned vehicles strewn along the city's streets. Upon identifying these abandoned vehicles through a meticulous survey, PMC affixes notices to them, providing a grace period of one week for their removal.
A staggering total of 345 abandoned vehicles were discovered on public roads within the municipal boundaries. Among these vehicles are numerous unrepaired, discarded, and forsaken two-wheelers and four-wheelers that have been left to occupy public space.
Citing sections 230 and 231 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949, an official from the Solid Waste Management Department of PMC emphasized the prohibition against placing objects on roads or footpaths within the municipal area without prior written permission from the municipal commissioner. Furthermore, according to the Maharashtra Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, the municipal commissioner is vested with the authority to remove any object or vehicle obstructing the road or footpath without prior notice.
Dr. Vidhate stated that ongoing efforts are being made to address the issue of abandoned vehicles across all four wards within the municipal boundaries. Many of these vehicles have deteriorated to the point of becoming scrap, and their owners have not been responsive. The PMC has already arranged for the removal of a significant number of these vehicles to a designated yard.
To locate the owners of such vehicles, the PMC collaborates with the Regional Transport Office, subsequently dispatching notices to these individuals, providing them with a 45-day window to retrieve their vehicles.
