Delhi Govt to Petrol Bunks: Refuel only those vehicles that have valid PUC

Delhi Government Transport department issued a notice to all the fuel stations in the national capital, prohibiting the refuelling of vehicles without a valid PUCC (Pollution Under Control Certificate); The new rule comes into effect on 25th October.

In an attempt to curb the pollution levels in the national capital, Delhi Government has issued a notice to the fuel station (Petrol, Diesel and CNG) across the city to refrain from refuelling the vehicles without a valid PUCC (Pollution Under Control Certificate). The move comes shortly after Delhi’s Environment minister announced that the pollution certificate will be necessary in order to get fuel from the petrol pumps. The capital’s transport commissioner confirmed the development by tweeting, “Do your bit this winter. Make sure your vehicle has a valid PUC certificate. Post 25 October, in Delhi, no PUCC would mean no fuel at the pumps”.

PUCC Mandatory for Fuel: But Why?

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According to the Government of India, “Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) can be issued by Pollution Check Points (Pollution Under Control – PUC Centers) across the country using the application which captures smoke parameters through API provided by the vehicle manufacturer; if the vehicle emissions are found to be within the norms, the PUCC certificate is issued for a specific duration of time”. The certificate issued is valid for a certain time period ranging from 3 months to 1 year depending upon the vehicle type and fuel used. Post that, the owner of the vehicle has to again visit the PUC centre and get a new certificate.

Going by the latest motor vehicle act, if a person is using the vehicle without a valid PUC, he is liable for a penalty of Rs. 10,000 or up to three months imprisonment or both. The notice by the Pollution Control Division of Delhi’s Transport Department reads “All vehicle owners whose vehicles are more than 01-year-old from the date of registration (except electric/ battery driver vehicles) are also directed to get their vehicles checked for PUC and obtain valid PUCC before 25.10.22 to avoid inconvenience and action as per law.

The main motive behind this move is to ensure proper checks on the vehicles plying in the national capital. As the transport sector is the biggest contributor to the city’s rising pollution levels, the new mandate will hopefully curb the situation. As winter is approaching, Delhi’s overall environment will face the heat of higher pollution levels in the upcoming months. Although the new rule will be highly welcomed by the residents of the national capital, it comes with its own set of loopholes. Whatever may be the case, we expect some good results.

Apart from this, several regulations are already in place to keep a check on emissions from the vehicles such as the ban on 10-year-old diesel cars, restriction on entry of heavy and medium vehicles and more.

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