KATHMANDU, March 9: Thousands of vehicles impounded by the police for lacking proper documents have been gathering dust at various police stations across the country. Some of them can be utilized but they are lying idle.
One can see thousands of such vehicles stacked up like scraps at the police offices. The offices concerned lack data on the types and quantities of vehicles piled up on their premises.
Many cases involving the impounded vehicle have remained unresolved for an extended period, while even in the cases that have been settled, there is no documentation regarding the seized goods. As a result, valuable assets have been rendered useless.
Some vehicles that have been lying idle for years are in a condition that could be reused again after repair. However, due to the lack of interest from both sides – vehicle owners and the police – has resulted in those vehicles ending up as scrap.
Such vehicles can be seen in multiple police units across all three districts within the Kathmandu Valley and beyond. These vehicles were brought to the offices by the traffic police following various actions. However, since the vehicle owners do not show up to reclaim them after the police action, the number of these abandoned vehicles is increasing day by day.
The traffic police office seizes undocumented vehicles for various offenses on a daily basis. The owners can reclaim these vehicles by submitting the required documents. However, some individuals choose not to retrieve their vehicles. Consequently, day by day, the traffic police find themselves accumulating more vehicles. The pile of vehicles prompts anyone to question whether it is indeed a police office or a junkyard.
Vehicles piled up at a police station in Kathmandu captured by a photojournalist of News Agency Nepal.