Police chief promises speedier disposal of seized vehicles

CBD BELAPUR: Days after Hindustan Times reported on how police stations were being transformed into scarp yards, Navi Mumbai police commissioner Ashok Sharma said that efforts were on to clear the seized vehicles from areas near police stations.

“It is a serious issue and we are making efforts to improve the situation,” said Sharma.

“We need permission from the court to dispose of the vehicles. Very often in criminal cases, the court doesn’t give us such a permission,” he added.

Although there are guidelines on how vehicles seized by the police must be returned to the owner within the stipulated time after getting necessary permissions from a court, such vehicles in the city seem to be gathering dust in the city.

Sharma said several technical issues had gotten in the way and had prevented the force from doing so. official apathy to dispose of these seized vehicles has transformed the sprawling premises of Turbhe, Nerul and Rabale police stations into junk yards.

For the ones that do not have the advantage of large compounds, such as APMC and Vashi police stations, seized bikes, cars and trucks are just parked along the road.

Residents who live near these police ststaions also complained that the traffic snarls they cause, were also being ignored by authorities.

Further, a number of parked vehicles have also been reduced to scrap as spare parts are often stolen from them.

Assuring action in the days to come, Sharma said, “We will be renewing efforts to get requisite permission from the courts and also look at other options. I am sure there will be a visible difference soon.”

Sharma said he was confident that the number of vehicles in the possession of the police force would reduce by at least 25% to 30% in the next few months.