PATNA: Soon, police stations in the state capital will get rid of abandoned or impounded cars and bikes, as the home department has decided to set up a dedicated yard for such vehicles.
The Patna police had requested the district administration for a 20-acre of land in the city’s urban areas, so that the department can create a centralised yard with a proper security room.
“The city police require a dedicated place to keep seized and unclaimed vehicles which have been increasing and giving a bad look to the city’s Gandhi Maidan, where vehicles have been lying like in a junkyard for years. Based on our request, the district administration has provided two plots informally, one at Bans Ghat and another at gate number 90C near Digha police station, for this purpose,” said Manavjit Singh Dhillon, Patna SSP.
He told TOI that the department will first create basic infrastructures, including boundary wall, security room and approach road there, before shifting these vehicles to the new yard. “We have already given a proposal to the district administration and it is working on this. They will hand over the identified lands to the home department after making proper security arrangements there. As per the order of Patna high court, we have shifted some vehicles to the plots, however, there is no basic facility right now,” the SSP said.
The Patna high court had expressed its displeasure over the seized vehicles parked at the southern-eastern corner of the Gandhi Maidan and directed the state police to remove them. Following which, a request was raised by the Patna police for a dedicated land to create a centralised vehicle yard.
As per the record, nearly 3,000 vehicles are lying in police stations across the city. These vehicles are of two types -- one seized during the course of investigation in criminal cases and another, unclaimed ones. As per the CrPC, the provision is that the court should have its own ‘malkhana’ (yard), so that once the charge-sheet is submitted, it is their responsibility to ensure proper and safe storage of vehicles.
“In Bihar, the court gives this storage responsibility to the police and most of the police stations do not have the infrastructure and capacity, especially in urban areas, to store the seized vehicles. The number of vehicles has been increasing because these cannot be disposed of without the orders of the court. We do not get these orders even when the charge-sheet is submitted. The court has to give its order whether the vehicles will be redeemed, auctioned or acquired,” Dhillon said.
In case of unclaimed vehicles, when no claimant comes forward in six months, the police send the report to the sub-divisional magistrates, so the competent authority can take the decision. So in either case, the police are not empowered to dispose of these vehicles.
The SSP said a request was also sent to the courts through the district judge to take decision on unclaimed and seized vehicles.
“We have prepared a list of cases, including those under trial and disposed of, so that the court can take a decision as how these vehicles should be disposed of. It is the court’s property and we are just the custodians, who have been delegated power to take the responsibility of the court,” Dhillon said, adding that with a proper yard, the police will have a separate place to keep such vehicles.
