‘No PUC, No Fuel’ Drive Begins: Nearly 2,800 Vehicles Denied Fuel in Delhi on Day One

Nearly 2,800 vehicles were denied fuel in Delhi on the first day of the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ enforcement drive after they were found without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, officials from the Transport Department said on Friday.

According to the department, enforcement teams, working alongside police personnel, conducted checks at petrol pumps across key locations in the national capital to ensure strict compliance with emission norms. Between 6 am on Thursday and 6 am on Friday, around 2,800 vehicles were identified as operating without valid PUC certificates.

Stringent action was taken against violators on the first day of the drive, with a total of 3,746 challans issued to vehicles flouting pollution norms. The Delhi government said monitoring and enforcement would continue in the coming days as part of its effort to curb vehicular emissions and provide immediate relief to public health.

A joint report by the Delhi Transport Department and the Delhi Traffic Police said 210 enforcement teams were deployed for the special drive, including 126 teams from the traffic police and 84 teams from the transport department.

The crackdown follows an announcement earlier this week by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who said vehicles without valid PUC certificates would not be allowed to refuel at petrol pumps from Thursday onwards. The announcement led to a sharp surge in demand for PUC certificates across the city.

Official data shows that 31,197 PUC certificates were issued on December 17, compared to 17,732 on December 16, marking an increase of 13,465 certificates, or nearly 76 per cent, within just 24 hours.

Delhi continues to battle severe winter pollution, with air quality deteriorating every year during this period. The Air Quality Index has remained largely in the ‘poor’ category above 300 and has frequently slipped into the ‘severe’ category, posing health risks even to otherwise healthy individuals.

On Friday, Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category, with the AQI at 377 at 2 pm, higher than the previous day’s 24-hour average of 373 recorded at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 301 and 400 is classified as ‘very poor’, while readings above 400 fall in the ‘severe’ category.