The central government is tightening the noose around those who violate vehicle pollution regulations. Starting in January next year, a system will be implemented in which not having a valid Pollution under Control certificate (PUC) can lead to the seizure of the vehicle registration certificate (RC).
According to the Hindustan Times’ sister publication Hindustan, the Ministry of Road Transport issued a draft notice on November 27 asking for suggestions from other interested parties before the PUC system goes online. The process will take two months, according to Hindustan.
People familiar with the development told Hindustan that under the new system, information about the vehicle owner will be uploaded to servers linked to the motor vehicle database. This way, it will be very difficult for people to continue using their vehicles without a PUC certificate, the people cited above said.
Vehicle users must provide their mobile phone numbers, where they will receive a one-time password (OTP). The executive at the PUC center will be able to generate a form only after the user provides an OTP, thus reducing the chances of foul play.
Under the proposed system, it will be mandatory to renew the PUC of a vehicle within the stipulated period. If a user with a valid PUC certificate cannot be found, they will be given seven days. Failure to obtain a valid certificate within this period will result in the seizure of the RC vehicle.
In addition, authorities can also ask users to check their vehicles if they are emitting additional fumes. These users will also be given seven days to get their vehicles in order. The same rules will apply to commercial vehicles as well, Hindustan reported.
Steps are being taken to control the level of air pollution that has reached dangerous levels in recent weeks. On Saturday, Delhi’s air quality fell back into the poor category.
The city’s 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) was 231 on Saturday. 137 on Friday, 302 on Thursday and 413 on Wednesday.
With winds subsiding, government agencies said air quality is likely to deteriorate further.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
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