Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Oct 3: The Haryana Transport Department has directed all petrol pump operators and retail outlets in the National Capital Region (NCR) districts of the state to mandatorily verify valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates before refuelling vehicles, as part of measures to curb air pollution.
The directions have been issued in accordance with the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), under which the “No PUC, No Fuel” rule came into effect across Delhi and the NCR from October 1.
As part of the state government's measures to control vehicular pollution, including the deployment and implementation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera systems at petrol pumps across NCR districts, strict enforcement of emission norms has been prioritised.
Under the directions, petrol, diesel and CNG stations must deny fuel to vehicles that do not have a valid PUC certificate.
Fuel stations will verify vehicle registration numbers against the online PUC database through ANPR cameras.
Pending the complete installation and operationalisation of ANPR cameras across all NCR districts, petrol pump owners have been directed to ensure that their staff manually verify the validity of the PUC certificate of every vehicle before dispensing fuel.
If a vehicle owner or driver fails to produce a valid certificate, fuel must be denied immediately and the vehicle registration number recorded for official purposes.
The Transport Department has also directed petrol pump operators to immediately direct vehicles without valid PUC certificates to the nearest authorised PUC testing centre at or near the retail outlet to obtain the required certificate before refuelling.
All petrol pumps have further been instructed to install clearly visible bilingual warning boards in English and Hindi at all entry points and fuel-dispensing units.
The boards will state: “No Valid PUC Certificate – No Fuel Refilling. Ensure a valid PUC certificate to avoid e-challan/penal action.”
The department also highlighted that driving or operating a vehicle without a valid PUC certificate may attract a fine of up to Rs 10,000 under the applicable Motor Vehicle Rules.