City Hall’s costly battle with abandoned vehicles

DBKL officers at the depot in Cheras which holds numerous vehicles needing to be disposed of. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star

DESPITE spending millions of ringgit each year to remove abandoned vehicles from the streets, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) recoups only a fraction of this cost through annual vehicle auctions, generating an average of RM300,000.

“This is a problem-solving mission,” said DBKL executive director (Socio-Economic Development) Ismadi Sakirin.

“We spend millions just to clear the vehicles every year and a significant portion of that cost goes towards logistics – using lorries, cranes, tow trucks and sky cranes – and paying staff overtime for working beyond regular hours.

“We have only 14 tow trucks available.

“In some cases, we have to use a crane to lift vehicles out of tight spaces, where manoeuvring in and out is difficult and time-consuming.

“If the vehicle is too large to access the area, we have to wait for the next available, appropriately sized lorry,’’ he said.

The lengthy procedure to remove and dispose of abandoned vehicles can take up to six months or more, starting with a 14-day notice.

This is often delayed further as some owners try to evade responsibility by relocating their vehicles.

“The notice is placed on the vehicle, giving the owner 14 days to remove it.

“However, some owners try to avoid the process by simply moving the vehicle elsewhere.

“This forces us to restart the process by issuing another notice,” he said.

After the 14-day period, the vehicle is towed to a depot, where DBKL verifies its status with agencies such as Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the police.

“When we take these vehicles, we must file a police report.

“There is always a possibility that the vehicle has been stolen or used in a crime,” he said.

Owners are then given three to six months to come forward and claim the vehicle.

If they fail to do so, the vehicle is sold at auction to scrap metal dealers.

“The auction process is carried out through an open tender and components are sold to the highest bidder,” said Ismadi, adding that these auctions were typically held once a year, involving the disposal of between 500 and 1,000 vehicles.

Ismadi urged vehicle owners to take responsibility for their old vehicles, emphasising the potential savings.

“If people could just do the needful and dispose of their old vehicles themselves, it would save the city a lot of money and resources,” he said.

Ismadi said old housing estates usually had many abandoned vehicles too.

For gated and guarded properties with strata titles, joint management bodies (JMBs) and management corporations (MCs) have the authority to address this issue.

“They can handle abandoned vehicles through their house rules, following a process similar to ours, which involves filing a police report and liaising with JPJ,” Ismadi explained. — By BAVANI M