The Greater Chennai Corporation is set to auction abandoned vehicles across the city after a six-year pause. A committee formed by the civic body will determine the price for these vehicles, the majority of which will be sold either for spare parts or as scrap. Since July 22, the corporation has seized 1,774 vehicles, with 729 being reclaimed by their owners.
In the initial phase of the auction, the corporation will put 112 of the 1,045 vehicles cleared by the police up for bidding. “We are auctioning the vehicles first as a complete unit. The committee will evaluate the vehicles and establish starting prices. The auction will be conducted through the Metal Scrap Trade Corporation Limited’s e-auction platform,” said GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran.
The corporation intends to auction the remaining vehicles after obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the police. Obtaining an NOC for a batch of 100 vehicles takes approximately 10 days. “We will soon publish advertisements for the auction,” the commissioner mentioned.
Kumaragurubaran stated that the revenue generated from the auction will be divided between the traffic police and the GCC. Most of the vehicles being auctioned are beyond repair and will be scrapped, with a few spare parts potentially being salvaged.
K Tamilarasu, a car mechanic from Pudupet, believes the auction will primarily benefit mechanics sourcing spare parts. “Some springs, shock absorbers, wheel rims, and linkages can still be in good condition in abandoned vehicles, even if the engine is unusable. These parts could find a good market,” he stated.
Over the past 15 days, the GCC has removed abandoned cars from major roads such as Lake View Road in Nesapakkam, Anna Nagar 4th Avenue, and T Nagar’s Kannadasan Salai, among other areas, reclaiming approximately 200 pavements.
