Mumbai: No space to keep auto rickshaws seized from rogue drivers

Traffic police and RTO officials taking action against errant auto drivers at Kurla

While the mega drive against errant auto drivers, launched by the traffic police along with the RTO, is showing significant results, the authorities now have an even bigger problem on their hands -- no space keep the seized autos.

There were 144 autos seized in the last three days alone from Kurla West, LTT, Bandra East, BKC, Mankhurd and Andheri.

Seized autos cover all the space outside the chowkie at Kurla. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

The drive was initiated after a series of meetings between RTO and traffic officials including Joint CP (traffic) Amitesh Kumar. The traffic police have, over the weekend, been issuing challans to auto drivers violating traffic rules and, with help from the RTO, also been issuing memos to auto drivers and their owners if found plying without valid documents.

However, lack of space to park the seized autos at traffic chowkies, primarily the ones below flyovers, is posing a major hurdle in the mega drive. Almost all the traffic division chowkies visited by mid-day are currently full of seized auto rickshaws. Traffic cops have fined more than 22,000 auto drivers since the drive began in the first week of this month.

There is no space at the Bandra West chowkie or the BKC chowkie either

No easy answers to space crunch
If the towed vehicles are parked on the roads, they create further traffic jams. In the Kurla division itself, 38 autos have been seized so far and there is no space for even one more vehicle at the chowkies. The BKC and Bandra divisions are facing similar issues. The local police, too, have seized some autos plying without documents, with dozens of them parked at BKC and Nirmal Nagar police stations.

The traffic PI of Kurla Division Dilip Gujar has also complained of a space crunch. Additional Commissioner (traffic) S Veeresh Prabhu told mid-day that the unavailability of space with the traffic division is creating major trouble.

"Most traffic divisions below the flyovers have very narrow spaces and we cannot do anything until the seized vehicles are move elsewhere. Apart from autos, the traffic division also tows other private vehicles and two-wheelers parked here until their owners claim them. We have written to the BMC commissioner to provide us octroi space (currently vacant) for parking abandoned vehicles," he said.

"We are in the process of cancelling the permits and licences of auto drivers found plying with valid documents and violating traffic rules frequently. Once a memo is issued, the owner and driver have to respond to it within seven days failing which further legal action is initiated against them," said Transport Commissioner Shekhar Channe. Transport Minister Diwakar Raote said that as far as space crunch was concerned, "It is not my department but the job of the Urban Development Ministry."

Autos seized in three days
BKC: 24
LTT: 18
Kurla: 38
Bandra East: 24
Andheri: 20
Mankhurd: 20

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