Delhi will soon make Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate mandatory for fuel at filling stations.
A draft policy on this proposal will be kept in public domain for comments, according to the Delhi government. The policy will come into effect only after the government issues a notification, which will take more time, officials said.
The Hindu had reported earlier this month that a proposal for the same was approved by departments and was pending before Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai. “It is a very ambitious policy being brought forth by the (Arvind) Kejriwal government,” said Mr. Rai.
The Minister said the air quality in the north India region worsens during the winter months. With this policy in place, vehicle owners will have to carry their up-to-date PUC certificate with them to the filling station. Thus, pollution level of every single vehicle in the city will be kept in check, he said.
“The policy will effectively help us ensure that polluting vehicles do not ply in Delhi and residents can enjoy cleaner air. The policy is being placed for public opinion and review before being notified,” Mr. Rai said.
He said the government is also working on setting up technology-based methods to ensure that vehicle owners as well as filling stations do not face any inconvenience and there are no long queues at the fuel stations because of checking of PUC certificates.
“While the exact mechanism is being worked out, these methods can also include technologies similar to RFID,” he said.
