Commuters show higher awareness on BS-VI, PUC rules

A day after the enforcement of BS-VI compliance and mandatory pollution-under-control certificates at Delhi’s border points and petrol pumps, awareness among commuters appeared to have increased on Friday, with many people voluntarily producing documents before refuelling.

Nischal Singhania, president of the Delhi Petrol Dealers’ Association, said that queues at pollution-under-control (PUC) certification centres remained unchanged, while fuel sales had taken a hit in some border areas.

“Earlier, there was uncertainty about how long the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule would continue. Now, it is clear that it will remain in force till GRAP-IV is in place. Sales have dipped in border areas. Pump owners in Badarpur reported a decline yesterday, and the trend has continued,” he said.

Singhania, however, said compliance levels had improved. “Customers are themselves taking out their PUC certificates while coming to refuel. This is a positive sign,” he added.

Despite the overall increase in awareness, checks were not uniformly enforced across the city. At a few petrol pumps, commuters reported that no verification was carried out on Friday. Piyush, a commuter at a petrol pump on Rohtak Road, said he could buy fuel without being asked for his PUC certificate and that there was no visible police or enforcement presence at the site. Another commuter, Bhushan Singh, travelling from Gulabi Bagh to his workplace, said the situation at the pump he visited was “like any other day”.

Meanwhile, teams from the traffic police and transport department were deployed at city entry points, toll plazas and petrol pumps to check PUC certificates and BS-VI compliance. Traffic personnel were also stationed at key intersections with smart number plate recognition devices to verify documents and issue challans, even as some motorists requested leniency during the checks.

Several motorists approaching the Bijwasan toll plaza on the Dwarka Expressway were seen slowing down abruptly after spotting enforcement barricades and Delhi Traffic Police personnel positioned just ahead of the toll point.

As traffic personnel flagged down vehicles for document verification, a noticeable number of cars could be seen taking sudden U-turns, heading back towards the Gurugram side to evade inspection.

The scene near the toll plaza reflected heightened enforcement under the ongoing restrictions, with traffic police teams stationed strategically on the carriageway.

Vehicles were stopped intermittently, while others slowed down considerably upon seeing personnel in reflective jackets checking registration numbers and pollution-related documents on the spot. Some drivers, after briefly halting and assessing the situation, chose to turn back, causing brief congestion on the expressway.

“A deployment near toll plazas is always strategic,” a senior traffic police officer said. He further said drivers automatically reduce their speed when they see enforcement teams close to toll points. It becomes easier for traffic personnel to stop vehicles smoothly and check papers without causing major traffic disruption.

He added that the department has already taken steps to ensure motorists are aware of the latest restrictions.

“We have pasted information boards at various Delhi-UP and Haryana-Delhi border points, clearly explaining the rules and different norms under the recently enforced GRAP-IV. The idea is to ensure compliance through awareness, not just penal action,” the officer said.

According to the officer, enforcement has been significantly scaled up across the national capital.” More than 100 teams of the Delhi Traffic Police have been deployed at vulnerable entry and exit points, including expressways, highways and border areas. These teams are tasked with checking vehicle documents, ensuring adherence to pollution norms and preventing the entry of restricted vehicles into Delhi,” he added.