Police disposes of 36 motorcycles

Police have disposed of 36 impounded motorcycles and six four-wheeled vehicles on Saturday (September 6) for the first time under the land vehicles law.

The vehicles were destroyed with an excavator at the Gaakoshi waste yard in Malé.

Malé City Council Director General Abdul Hameed Ali – a member of a committee formed between the council, transport authority, and police – told newspaper Haveeru that some of the vehicles disposed of yesterday included motorcycles impounded ten years ago.

Hameed said the committee hoped to dispose of vehicles in the tow yard once a month following due procedure allowing owners to reclaim the vehicles.

In July, police have announced that 722 vehicles impounded for illegal parking will be disposed of as no one has come forward to claim ownership of the vehicles.

The impounded vehicles included 156 motorcycles, 560 bicycles, and six four-wheelers (cars and pickups).

Police noted that only five vehicles were reclaimed by their owners from the tow yard following the last announcement.

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Police to dispose of over 700 impounded vehicles

Police have announced today that 722 vehicles impounded for illegal parking will be disposed of as no one has come forward to claim ownership of the vehicles.

Police are working with the Malé City Council to transport the vehicles to the Thilafushi industrial island, police said.

According to a statement by the police, the vehicles to be destroyed includes 156 motorcycles, 560 bicycles, and six four-wheelers.

Police noted that only five vehicles were reclaimed by their owners from the tow yard following the last announcement.

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Transport authority to destroy impounded vehicles

The transport authority has declared it will destroy all vehicles impounded by the police in their tow yard, despite a notice from parliament’s government oversight committee ordering it not to destroy the vehicles.

Speaking to the press today, chairman of the transport authority Abdul Rasheed Nafiz said that he did not believe that parliament could give the authority such an order as the motor vehicle act required the transport ministry to destroy impounded vehicles if the owner did not pay the fines within a certain duration.

Nafiz told the press that if MPs were worried about citizen’s property being destroyed they should amend the motor vehicle act to prevent the impounding and destruction of vehicles, or vote on the matter.

On June 24, police announced the impounded vehicles in the police tow yard would be destroyed if the owners did not claim them.

Police Spokesperson Ismail Ali told Minivan News that owners had already been given three months to reclaim their vehicles.

“The three month duration expired last Friday,’’ Ismail said. ‘’The tow yard is full now and we need the land for other purposes.’’

According to Ismail this is the first time  police will destroy vehicles since the motor transport act came in to effect.

‘’These vehicles that we are going to destroy have been here since 2008,’’ he said.

He said a committee consisting of members from Male City council, police, media, and transport authority will decide how to destroy these vehicles.

‘’The committee will give instructions to police,’’ he added.

Following the decision by police, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed ‘Bonda’ Rasheed staged a one-man protest inside the parliament chamber.

The Speaker Abdulla Shahid repeatedly asked Rasheed to take his seat, and after several hours asked security officials to remove him from the parliament chamber.

Later that day the issue was filed at the government oversight committee and the committee passed a motion to send a notice to the transport authority requesting it not destroy the vehicles.

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