No PUC, no petrol: Haryana NCR pumps told to verify certificates before refuelling from October 1

Petrol pumps in Haryana national capital region (NCR) districts will be required to verify pollution under control (PUC) certificates before refuelling of vehicles from October 1. Vehicles without a valid PUC certificate will be denied fuel under the Centre’s air pollution control measures.

A directive issued by Haryana transport department on October 30 said that as per the Commission for Air Quality Management’s (CAQM) direction number 101, the no PUC, no fuel rule will come into effect in NCR with effect from October 1.

As per the directions, petrol, diesel and CNG stations will be required to ensure that vehicles have a valid PUC before they are refuelled.

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The directions issued by Commissioner and Secretary, Transport, Atul Kumar to the state co-ordinator of Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum said that petrol stations will use Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to match vehicle registration numbers with the online PUC database. “However, till ANPR systems are fully installed and becomes operational across all NCR districts, petrol pump operators have been instructed to ensure that their staff should manually verify the PUC of vehicles before refuelling,’’ the order said.

State officials said the government was in the process of installing ANPR cameras in NCR petrol pumps. With ANPR technology, vehicle registration numbers can be captured at fuel stations and used to facilitate verification of PUC status, they said.

The transport department order said that if a vehicle owner is unable to produce a valid PUC certificate, then the petrol pump must refuse fuel and record the vehicle’s registration number for official purpose.

The order said that driving or operating a vehicle without a valid PUC can attract a fine of up to ₹10,000 under the Motor Vehicle Rules. Vehicles found without a valid certificate are to be directed to the nearest authorised PUC testing centre so that they can obtain the required certification before refuelling, it said.

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The Transport department has also instructed petrol pump operators to put up prominent bilingual signs in English and Hindi at fuel dispensing points in this regard.

The instructions, the order said, are aimed at ensuring that motorists are clearly informed about the requirement before attempting to refuel.

“The petrol pumps have been directed to implement the measures immediately and submit an action taken report within three days. Any laxity in implementing the directions could lead to strict punitive action,’’ the order said.