Bengaluru: Govt to move 8,500 seized vehicles from police stations to vacant sites on city outskirts

Bengaluru: Around 8,500 seized two-, three- and four-wheelers lying for years in and around police stations across Bengaluru will be shifted to six designated locations within the next 15-20 days, Bengaluru City Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Thursday.

The vehicles were seized by the Police Department in connection with various cases and could not be disposed of as the cases are pending before courts. Many have deteriorated over the years, occupying space inside police-station premises and spilling onto adjoining roads and footpaths.

The Revenue Department has identified six sites in the city to house the seized vehicles, providing a solution to a long-standing civic and administrative problem, Gowda said.


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He has directed the Police Department to take possession of the land, and build compound walls or erect fencing. Once the sites are ready, the department will determine which vehicles should be moved to each location.

The accumulation of seized vehicles has been a persistent problem in densely populated areas, with residents raising concerns over blocked footpaths, restricted pedestrian movement and congestion on adjoining roads, the minister said.

The shifting exercise follows nearly two months of efforts by the Revenue and Police departments to identify a solution that would allow the vehicles to be stored without occupying valuable public or police-station space.

Gowda said the move would free up space at police stations and help reclaim footpaths, roads and other public areas currently used for vehicle storage.

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The initiative is also part of the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s Just Clean Bengaluru and Freedom from Waste campaigns, which seek to address garbage, construction and demolition waste and other forms of accumulated urban neglect.

The minister said the removal of seized vehicles was an extension of this approach, aimed at reclaiming public spaces from long-standing clutter and inappropriate storage.

The exercise also highlights the need for coordination between departments to resolve civic issues that cannot be addressed by a single agency, Gowda said.

“Public spaces should not become permanent storage spaces for problems that were originally meant to be temporary,” he said.

The relocation of the vehicles is expected to improve the use of police-station premises and ease pedestrian and traffic movement around affected areas, the minister added.