The Chennai Corporation has removed 10,954 vehicles abandoned by residents on city roads. The civic body has auctioned the cars and motorcycles for ₹3.05 crore and shared 75% of the proceeds with the city police to install CCTV cameras along roads.
Corporation officials on Monday handed over the money to the city police to improve safety and security of residents in various neighbourhoods.
Health hazard
Former Corporation floor leader V. Sukumar Babu said the abandoned vehicles were posing a public health hazard to the residents in various neighbourhoods. “Some owners have been reluctant to remove the abandoned cars and motorcycles. We have found mosquitoes breeding inside them and carcasses of stray dogs. Garbage piles up near the vehicles have increased public health risk. Road relaying is also affected because of the presence of such vehicles,” he said.
Former councillors have been reiterating the need for removing the abandoned vehicles before relaying the 33,000 interior roads and 471 bus routes in the city.
‘Not informed’
However, many residents alleged that the vehicles were removed by the Corporation without issuing any notice to owners. For example, Ice House residents alleged that Corporation workers removed autorickshaws and other vehicles damaged during the police action to control riots on the Marina beach and the neighbouring residential areas following the Jallikkattu protests.
“The vehicle was reportedly set on fire by some unidentified persons. I have to answer the bank that gave loan for the vehicle. I did not get compensation for the loss either,” said a resident.
After removing 7,875 vehicles in the first phase, the Corporation has cleared 3,079 vehicles in the past few days.
However, many of the spares of the abandoned vehicles were allegedly taken away by the workers who removed the vehicles. As a result, the residents alleged that the civic body has not been able to auction the entire material collected along the roads.
