VIJAYAWADA: Come January 1, vehicle users plying without a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate are likely to face the music. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has recently issued a draft notification according to which a system will be put in place where not having a PUC certificate can lead to the seizure of vehicle registration certificate.
As per the information provided by transport officials, there are 57.53 lakh motor vehicles of different categories plying in Andhra Pradesh. At present, the state has around 500 mobile pollution checking centres operating on contract basis. While the testing fee for two-wheelers and three-wheelers is Rs 60, it is Rs 100 for light motor vehicles, and Rs 150 for medium and heavy motor vehicles.
Though the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 states that every vehicle should get a PUC certificate every six months from an approved PUC centre, it is not followed by a majority of private vehicle owners, deputy transport commissioner (DTC) M Purendra told TNIE. At present, the violators are penalised under section 190 (2) of the Motor Vehicles Act and liable for prosecution. A fine of Rs 1,000 is imposed for first time offence and Rs 2,000 if its a repeat offence, he added.
In the proposed system, it will be mandatory for motorists to renew their vehicle PUC certificate within the time frame. For those of BS IV or lower variants, the certificate must be renewed twice a year; users of BS VI variant vehicles can do the same after one year of purchase.
“The Centre will accept suggestions and objections from experts, motorists and NGOs for a month. When the system gets approved, an SMS alert will be sent to the registered mobile number of a vehicle owner well before the expiry of their PUC certificate,” the official explained.