The Arvind Kejriwal Government has proposed to enhance the fine imposed on vehicles violating Pollution Under Control (PUC) norms from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 for the first offence and from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 for second and subsequent offences. Proposal to increase penalty has been made to control vehicular pollution in the city following widespread warnings that Delhi’s air pollution had breached tolerable limits, and after the High Court pulled up the city Government for its failure to control it.
Top sources told The Pioneer that the Delhi Government has submitted an affidavit before NGT proposing to increase the fine for violation of PUC norms from Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 for first time offence and from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 for second and subsequent offences.
Supporting the Government’s proposal, Traffic Police and Transport Department officials feel that heavy penalty may deter air pollution defaulters. “If there is a provision of heavy penalty, the people will think twice before violating the provisions,” a traffic police official said.
PUC certificates are issued at computerised outlets running at petrol pumps. The Transport Department has 388 computerised centres for petrol and CNG vehicles and 273 outlets for diesel vehicles. Nearly four lakh PUC certificates are issued every month to private vehicles, officials said, adding the percentage of compliance by private vehicles is less than 30 per cent. However, the percentage of compliance in commercial vehicles is much higher at 90 percent, they added.
The Delhi Government had earlier proposed to make PUC certificates mandatory for buying fuel. The proposal would have allowed pumps to turn away a vehicle that didn’t have a valid PUC certificate. The proposal was put on hold after petrol pump owners’ association said they petrol pumps could not enforce the law as it was not their job and threatened to go on indefinite strike if it is implemented.
As per Delhi Transport Department norms, BS IV-compliant four wheelers are issued PUC certificates with a validity of one year while the rest have to renew certificates every three months.