As an action against high pollution levels in Delhi, the Government has initiated a notice warning process for the vehicle owners having invalid Pollution Under Control certificates. In the notice, the choice of getting a valid one or facing a penalty is given, as officials said on Monday.
Lakhs of Vehicle Owners Having Invalid Pollution Certificates
As per the officials, there are a total of 17 lakh vehicles including “13 lakh two-wheelers and three lakh cars”, which are being driven with invalid PUCs.
The official statement goes as, “We have sent SMSes to nearly 14 lakh vehicle owners asking them to get a valid PUC telling them that if they do not get it done in time, they will have to face heavy penalties. The pollution season is approaching within two-three months and we have to ensure that we reduce vehicular pollution to some extent. Warning people to get a valid PUC is a step in that direction.”
“For instance, a retired Army colonel has written to the Transport Department saying that his son is abroad and his vehicle is standing in their garage. So of course, the vehicles that are not playing on the roads are not required to get PUC, but vehicles found plying on the roads without a valid PUC will be prosecuted”, further added.
What If Vehicle Owners Get Caught Without A Valid PUC Certificate?
If a vehicle owner got caught with a invalid Pollution certificates then he may face up to six months of imprisonment or a fine of up to ₹10,000 or both according to the Motor Vehicle Act.
As per the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, “every motor vehicle (including those conforming to BS-I/ BS-II/ BS-III/BS-IV along with those operating on CNG/LPG) is required to carry a valid PUC certificate after the expiry of the period of one year from the date of its first registration.”
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Now a PUC certificate has become a document which is easily accessible for the authorities as it is integrated with vehicle registration databases.
As per officials, PUC certificates being integrated into the database has “improved the credibility of PUC certification by reducing human intervention and helps in identifying polluting vehicles for necessary punitive action.”
