BMC Conducts eAuction Of Abandoned Vehicles, Earns INR 4.23 Cr

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) auctioned 4,533 abandoned vehicles to scrap dealers. From this auction, BMC earned INR 4.23 crores. Before sale the vehicles were melted, recycled, and then sold as scrap. The auction of vehicles was conducted in July.

Since 2020, all these vehicles had occupied the scrapyards, an official from BMC’s removal from the encroachment department said. The official further added, "The parts, which included alloy, steel, and plastic, were melted, recycled, and sold as scrap after we canceled the registration number."

This year there was a change in the auction process. To speed up the process, pictures of the abandoned vehicles were uploaded to an eAuction portal. After granting the permit, and receiving the notice, the vehicles are towed to scrapyards and depots. The entire process takes three months. These vehicles are auctioned to make space for other abandoned vehicles.

Sharing details about the change being brought up the official said, "In the past, we had to appoint a contractor who would hire a vendor to auction the cars. The Central government's eAuction portal will now receive images of abandoned vehicles from all 24 wards, and online buyers may place their bids on the portal."

But he said that there are rules for taking part in the online auction. "We are no longer required to wait or search for an auctioneer forever. Not just abandoned vehicles but all kinds of vehicles are being auctioned off on this website," he said.

To date, there have been no cases or scenarios of any luxury cars being abandoned. Each abandoned vehicle takes up about 124 square feet of road space, according to official data collected from the Regional Transport Office (RTO). The quantity of precious public space being lost may be calculated easily.

The official further explaining the method said that under Section 314 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, the civic body’s maintenance department issues a 48-hour notice. Following this it coordinates with the traffic police department to tow away the vehicles to the scrapyards and depots.

“Each ward now has a depot. People have 40 days after notices are posted on the junk cars to file claims. If they don't, BMC notifies the police station in writing to follow specified procedures and holds the auction. A valuation committee decides the price for each vehicle when the three-month process is complete,” the civic official added.

It is very important to make sure that any of the vehicles are not stolen properties, the official remarked.

He said, "When no one steps forward to make a claim, we publish a notice in the newspapers announcing our intention to sell and auction them. Buyer deregisters the vehicle after selling it for scrap.”

“These vehicles are auctioned to make more space for other vehicles in the scrapyards and depots. Lifting the vehicles isn’t a challenge but auctioning sure is, as the vehicle belongs to someone else. Therefore an NOC is necessarily required from the (RTO),” the official stated.