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Abandoned 2006 Mercedes S600 W220
Abandoned cars at road corners are a big problem in India.
In India, it's illegal to leave a vehicle abandoned for 10 hours or more in a public place (Motors Vehicles Act).
A user named Ratan Dhillon from Pune recently saw a luxury car parked on the roadside and raised this issue on X.
"Abandoned 2006 Mercedes S600 W220 ( Extended) lying at Pune. I hope this car undergoes restoration and finds a new lease on life," Ratan wrote on X.
He narrated an interesting story about the car owner.
"The car belonged to a 53-year-old man who ran a chit-fund organisation. He fulfilled his dream of owning it in 2004. When police received a tip about his alleged involvement in black money, they conducted a raid. However, he managed to bribe his way out of trouble. Fearing a government raid, he fled the country, leaving the car abandoned since 2009 at this location, where he parked it before taking a taxi to the airport."
Abandoned 2006 Mercedes S600 W220 ( Extended) lying at Pune.
— Rattan Dhillon (@ShivrattanDhil1) May 2, 2024
I hope this car undergoes restoration and finds a new lease on life.
Story of the Car- The car belonged to a 53-year-old man who ran a chit fund organization. He fulfilled his dream of owning it in 2004. When police… pic.twitter.com/j1mOPHw6Wv
Soon, Kumar Manish, who owns a news media portal 2015-founded UrbanVoices, added his view to the issue.
"A vendor earning a livelihood in the same spot is not OK, but a parked Mercedes car for 15 years occupies prime public land on the road and no one gets bothered": he reposted on X.
A vendor earning a livelihood in the same spot is not OK, but a parked Mercedes car for 15 years occupies prime public land on the road and no one gets bothered. #Pune https://t.co/7oGxmAsUj7
— Kumar Manish (@kumarmanish9) May 2, 2024
Users on X related to the issue, while a few saw the ironic side:
One user wrote: "Sir, till the owner doesn't sign transfer docs... no sane person would touch this car and spend few lacs for restoration."
Another user wrote: "This is a white elephant. People who try and restore it will need to have deep pockets. If they have that kind of money, they can afford to buy a new one.
Even if this car is restored, it will need loads of money to run and maintain it given that for 15 years it hasn't been touched."
Street Vendors In India:
Street vendors, estimated to constitute 2.5% of any city's population, work as local vegetable, food, and commodity sellers for daily needs.
It's an unorganised sector that offers a marginal source of income to many migrants and the urban poor.
The vendors also make city life affordable for others by providing vital links in the food, and nutrition, etc. But they face removals and displacements from local authorities from time to time for development.
Last year, a 70-year-old vendor from Nagpur was forced to remove her 50-year-old shop.
Since November 8 last year, around 150 street vendors in Delhi's Connaught Place lost their livelihoods due to forced eviction by municipal authorities, per the Leaflet.
However, according to the Street Vendors Act of 2014, vendors cannot be evicted without being provided alternative spaces (vending zones). It also raised the question of who monitors the activities of hawkers.