NEW DELHI: Even as the Delhi government has enforced a ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule at petrol pumps in the capital, fuel stations in Noida are yet to begin checking pollution certificates, raising questions over enforcement in one of the most polluted NCR cities. Noida, which has a large number of offices and residential complexes, continues to record high pollution levels.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily air quality bulletin, Noida’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 366 at 4 pm on Monday, just below Delhi’s AQI of 373. Two days earlier, Noida had topped the NCR pollution chart, surpassing Delhi.
Despite this, fuel pumps in Noida are not asking vehicle owners to show valid PUC certificates before refuelling, unlike in Delhi where the rule has been made mandatory over the last few days. At an Indian Oil petrol pump in Sector 33, located next to the Noida Regional Transport Office (RTO), staff said they had received no instructions from authorities to check pollution certificates.
“We have not been given any such directions, so we are not checking PUC certificates before refuelling vehicles,” a staff member said. The area around the fuel pump remains heavily congested, with vehicles frequently parked along the road and steady traffic movement throughout the day.
In contrast, the pollution check centre located within the petrol pump premises has seen a sharp rise in demand. A staff member at the centre said that while around 20–30 PUC certificates are usually issued or renewed daily, the number has risen to 70-80 in recent days.
A recent study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) found that air pollution across northern India spiked sharply in November, with 20 of 29 NCR cities recording higher PM2.5 levels than during the same period last year.
Ghaziabad topped the national pollution chart, while Noida, Greater Noida, Bahadurgarh, Hapur, Baghpat, Sonipat, Meerut and Rohtak were also among the 10 most polluted cities. Noida appeared on the list of 10 most polluted cities for around 27 days in November.