Bengaluru: Do Bengalureans know how many abandoned or illegally parked vehicles can actually be towed in a day across the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) five municipal corporations? Or how many wheel clamps are available across the city to enforce the drive? Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Saturday said these practical limitations explain why the ongoing abandoned vehicle removal campaign may appear slow despite strict enforcement.
Responding to questions from the media over delays in towing vehicles even after notices had been served more than a week ago, the minister said towing operations involve logistical challenges. He said vehicles have to be transported to designated parking facilities located around 10 to 15 kilometres away, limiting each towing vehicle to removing only two to three vehicles a day.
“That does not mean we will leave any vehicle untouched,” Byre Gowda said, adding that enforcement may take time because towing capacity is limited, but action will continue until all abandoned vehicles are removed.
The minister said the GBA has around 5,000 wheel clamps available for enforcement across Bengaluru. Additional clamps will be procured if required. Once a vehicle is clamped, owners cannot remove it on their own. Vehicle owners will be allowed to pay the prescribed penalty and get the clamp released before the vehicle is towed away.
He said the government’s objective is to ensure compliance with the law rather than impose harsh action on citizens without warning.
Byre Gowda also warned that some vehicle owners had allegedly removed notices pasted on their vehicles after receiving them. He said authorities have photographic evidence of every notice served, and removing official notices could itself invite legal action under applicable laws as it amounts to destruction of evidence.
Appealing to citizens to cooperate, the minister said respect should be shown to the law rather than any individual. “If the rule of law is respected, governance becomes easier for everyone,” he said.
The minister said the campaign to remove abandoned vehicles parked on roads for several months has already begun across Bengaluru. Following the symbolic launch of the drive, all five GBA corporations have been instructed to intensify enforcement in their respective jurisdictions.
He said officials have been directed to begin towing vehicles wherever notices were issued more than a week ago, while continuing the use of wheel clamps where immediate towing is not possible. Even if towing is delayed by a day or two because of operational constraints, the vehicles will eventually be removed, he added.
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