NEW DELHI: Citing increase in the number of vehicles in the national capital, the Delhi government is exploring additional locations to establish new Pollution Under Control (PUC) checking centres.
The transport department has requested the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Indraprastha Gas (IGL) to open new PUC checking centres at their sites. This decision came after the transport department found that many PUC checking centres at petrol pumps were non-operational.
Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said, “Ensuring that vehicles comply with pollution norms is crucial for improving Delhi’s air quality. By increasing the number of PUC checking centres, we aim to make it more convenient for citizens to get their vehicles tested and certified. We appreciate the cooperation of DMRC and IGL in this endeavour.”
The Delhi Petrol Dealers’ Association has shut down Pollution under Control Certificate (PUCC) centres from July 15 as they are dissatisfied with the proposed hike in the rates of pollution certificates. They have said the hike is not commensurate with the operational costs of running the centres. In the letters to DMRC and IGL, the Transport Department said the number of vehicles in Delhi has seen a significant rise over the past few years.
Currently, the city has over 900 PUC checking centres, including more than 700 located at petrol pumps.
In 2017, the Supreme Court mandated all state transport departments across the country to establish PUC checking centres at every fuel station. Recently, the Transport Department discovered that some PUC checking centres were not complying with this order. Consequently, enforcement teams have been directed to take strict action against non-compliant PUC checking centres, including suspending their operations within the city.