Hundreds of seized vehicles ‘rotting’ at Kendrapara police stations as auctions keep failing

Hundreds of seized two-wheelers and four-wheelers parked at police stations across Kendrapara district have deteriorated after prolonged exposure to sun, rain and dust, despite an August 2020 Orissa High Court direction to dispose of the vehicles through release or auction.

Field visuals showed rusted bodywork, flat tyres and even vehicles partly buried in soil.

High Court Direction Not Fully Enforced

The High Court had ordered that seized vehicles should not remain for long inside police limits and may be handed to owners on appropriate surety in the presence of a magistrate. Residents said the order remains largely un-implemented in many police stations and that vehicles continue to lose value outdoors.

“For the benefit of the state treasury as well as for the welfare of the society, I would plead with the government to auction these rotting vehicles at whatever price possible,” said local resident Amar Biswal.

Another resident said that vehicles whose owners have cleared legal formalities and are no longer accused should be returned, while the rest should be auctioned rather than left to rust. 

“The vehicles should be handed over to the rightful owners, who have valid documents and are no longer accused. The remaining discarded vehicles should be auctioned off. Such a sight of rotting vehicles at police stations is disgraceful,” said Sashikant Mohanty of Purusottampur.

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Space Constraints And Low Auction Interest

Police and excise premises in Kendrapara hold vehicles seized in both criminal and excise cases. Officials acknowledged that space constraints have forced vehicles to be stacked outdoors, leaving them exposed through multiple monsoon seasons.

According to district inputs, excise custody alone accounts for more than a hundred seized vehicles. Officials said auction notices are being issued, but public response has been limited because buyers hesitate to purchase vehicles described as stolen or used in offences.

“We list seized vehicles for auction every month through our portal. However, not many people are interested in buying vehicles that were previously stolen. This is the reason for this backlog of unreleased vehicles,” said Bipracharan Mandal, Kendrapara Excise Officer.

Identification Process Ongoing

The district police said a tagging process linking each vehicle to its case record began around a year ago under High Court instructions.

The Superintendent of Police said the exercise is underway and would be reviewed again to identify vehicles that can be immediately disposed of.

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“Around a year back, we had initiated a process for tagging of vehicles to identify which vehicle belongs to which case. As per the directions of the Orissa High Court, we had assigned this task to a DSP, and the process is ongoing. I will look into the matter again and review its progress. If any vehicle can be disposed of immediately, they will be,” said Kendrapara SP Siddharth Kataria.