The Khanna police have returned to their owners 818 out of 1,470 vehicles lying unattended at various police stations, said officials. They said the development comes as part of a special drive conducted across the police district Khanna for disposal of vehicles lying unattended for prolonged periods.
The disposal has been undertaken in cases under various laws where the accused had been acquitted or discharged.
For vehicles liable for confiscation or further disposal upon conviction, proposals were forwarded to the court of the chief judicial magistrate, Khanna, for appropriate orders.
Khanna Senior Superintendent (SSP) Darpan Ahluwalia said they faced numerous challenges in the process, such as identifying rightful owners, tracing old records, checking scrupulous documentation and overcoming reluctance of owners to claim their vehicles, but the police undertook the exercise on a war footing and achieved significant results.
She said a coordination meeting was chaired by District and Sessions Judge Harpreet Kaur Randhawa to facilitate the drive and address procedural bottlenecks.
At the meeting, legal and administrative issues related to vehicle disposal were discussed and resolved to ensure expeditious action.
“A particular challenge arose in accident cases, where family members were reluctant to take custody of vehicles belonging to deceased loved ones due to emotional reasons. Such families were sensitised and requested to complete the necessary formalities in public interest so the vehicles did not continue to languish at police stations. The public cooperated by selling the vehicle to scrap dealers and utilising the proceeds for charitable and religious purposes, including donations to local gurdwaras and temples. We had 135 vehicles tied to road accidents,” the SSP added.
The police appealed to the people whose vehicles were lying at police stations to approach the authorities and complete the necessary legal formalities for release or disposal of the vehicles.
