Delhi govt to soon make PUC certificate mandatory for filling fuel at pumps

In a bid to phase out polluting vehicles from the national capital, the Delhi government on January 28 said it plans to make pollution under control (PUC) certificate mandatory for filling fuel at pumps.

The draft policy will be placed for public opinion before being notified, the government said.

Once the policy comes into effect, vehicle owners in Delhi will be required to carry their PUC certificates to the petrol pumps. In case the certificate is found to be invalid or expired, they will have to get it reissued at the pump, the government said in a press release.

“The policy will effectively help us ensure that polluting vehicles do not ply in Delhi and residents can enjoy cleaner air,” Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said.

Notably, a PUC certificate is mandatory for vehicle owners in all parts of the country. In Delhi, a PUC certificate on a new bike or car is valid for a year, whereas, the validity of a renewed certificate lasts for six months.

The Delhi government, in its statement, noted that it is “setting up technology-based methods” like radio-frequency identification (RFID) for effective implementation of this policy to prevent long queues at the petrol pumps due to the checking of PUC certificates.