The Delhi Police has issued challans worth more than Rs 20 crores against vehicle owners for non-possession of Pollution under Control (PUC) certificates in just five days till Tuesday complying with the anti-pollution measures under the third stage of Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

On Tuesday alone, the Delhi Traffic Police imposed 4,825 challans on Tuesday for violations regarding PUC certificates while in the previous four days since November 15, since GRAP-III was invoked, a total 18,838 challans were issued by the department. A fine of Rs 10,000 is imposed on motorists for not having a valid PUC certificate. These challans get released from courts.

Under the GRAP stage 3 guidelines imposed across Delhi on February to deal with the worsening air quality, the traffic police issued 5,070 challans for violation of a ban on the plying of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles, including 1,097 challans for BS III petrol and 3,973 challans for BS IV diesel vehicles, amounting to Rs 10.14 crores. On Tuesday, the police issued 185 challans for BS III petrol and 885 for BS IV diesel vehicles.

According to Section 194(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, vehicles violating the GRAP III restriction would be fined Rs 20,000. During the restrictions, Diesel and petrol inter-state buses, except for BS VI diesel, from the NCR cities to Delhi are also banned.

For End of Life Vehicles (ELVs), which creates more pollution on the roads, the department also imposed 941 challans in five days, including 151 challans on Tuesday. No vehicle which is older than 15 years is allowed to operate on Delhi roads, according to orders issued by the National Green Tribunal (2015) and the Supreme Court (2018). For diesel vehicles, this time period is 10 years. A total of 158 challans were imposed on vehicular owners carrying uncovered construction and demolition (C&D) material since Friday, including seven on Tuesday. 

Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ajay Chaudhary said, “As the restrictions under the GRAP stage 3 came into force on Friday, we have intensified action against those violating norms.”

Addl/CP (Traffic) Satyaveer Singh Katara added that the police will continue its drive and ensured that tough measures are implemented on the roads. “We are doing the best we can to take strict actions against violators and help to ensure that these do not make the aqi better in the national Capital. <

We are continuously carrying drives and deploying extra personnels to manage traffic,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Shashank Jaiswal said.