Bengaluru Civic Drive: Half of Abandoned Vehicle Complaints on ASTraM App Found False Amid Parking Disputes

A joint civic campaign by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the Bengaluru Traffic Police (BTP) to clear abandoned vehicles from city streets has been met with a surge of non-genuine reports. Officials found that nearly 50 percent of the vehicles flagged by citizens on the ASTraM mobile application were not abandoned, but were instead reported due to neighbourhood feuds over public street parking.

What Happened

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda previously announced the abandoned vehicle clearance drive as an integral part of a wider footpath clearance initiative conducted alongside the Bengaluru Traffic Police. To facilitate community involvement, the traffic police introduced a dedicated feature on the ASTraM app, permitting members of the public to submit photographs, locations, and descriptions of vehicles left unattended for extended periods.

Public response was immediate, with citizens flagging over 6,000 vehicles within the first two weeks of the portal opening. However, subsequent ground verification conducted by the traffic police and municipal corporation officials revealed that only approximately 3,000 reports were genuine. The remaining complaints had been wrongly submitted, often driven by personal disputes over roadside space.

According to Bengaluru Traffic Police sources, multi-vehicle ownership combined with limited residential parking frequently forces people to leave cars on public roads. Several residents reportedly used the app to report neighbours’ cars that had merely been parked in a single spot for a few days.

A senior traffic officer detailed several scenarios encountered during physical checks:

• Families who routinely use two-wheelers for daily office commutes while leaving their four-wheelers parked outside their residences had their cars reported as abandoned.
• Vehicles belonging to residents who had temporarily travelled to their native hometowns were flagged by neighbours.
• Commercial garage operators parked customers’ cars on adjacent streets, leading annoyed nearby residents to submit abandoned-vehicle complaints.

Key Highlights

• Total complaints received: More than 6,000 vehicle reports were logged through the ASTraM app in a two-week span.
• False reports: Nearly half (around 3,000) were determined to be non-genuine upon physical inspection.
• Underlying cause: Disputes and feuds between neighbours over roadside parking spaces.
• Vehicles cleared: Municipal corporation sources confirmed that over 1,000 vehicles have been cleared under the initiative so far.
• Action against false reporters: The police have not initiated punitive action against individuals submitting false complaints, but have requested the public to desist.

Why This Matters

The influx of misleading complaints creates logistical challenges for law enforcement and civic bodies. Verifying each report requires deploying personnel to inspect vehicle sites, locate owners, and review circumstances. Traffic police officials highlighted that inspecting invalid complaints diverts time and manpower away from essential citizen services and frontline responsibilities.

Simultaneously, the drive has achieved measurable progress on legitimate violations. More than 1,000 vehicles have been removed from roadways. In several instances, municipal personnel applied official notice stickers to long-standing vehicles, prompting registered owners to settle designated fines and move the vehicles independently.

What to Watch Next

The Bengaluru Traffic Police have instructed the public to report only genuine instances of prolonged vehicle abandonment. While authorities have refrained from penalising individuals who submitted inaccurate reports, officials will continue assessing submissions on the ASTraM app as the broader footpath clearance operation continues across the city.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ASTraM app vehicle clearance drive?

It is a joint initiative by the Greater Bengaluru Authority and the Bengaluru Traffic Police, announced by Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, aimed at clearing long-abandoned vehicles from public roads and footpaths using citizen reports.

Why were so many complaints found to be false?

Authorities discovered that many residents submitted false reports against neighbours due to local disputes over street parking, particularly targeting vehicles parked for a few days, cars left by residents away on travel, or vehicles parked by local mechanics.

Have any vehicles actually been cleared?

Yes. Corporation sources confirmed that more than 1,000 vehicles have been cleared, including cases where owners retrieved their vehicles and paid fines after finding notice stickers attached to them.

Source: Reporting based on updates from The Hindu.