New Delhi:

The Delhi government has increased the pollution under control (PUC) certificate charges for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after a gap of about 13 years, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said today.

The charges for petrol, CNG or LPG (including bio fuel) two and three wheelers has been increased from Rs 60 to Rs 80 and for four wheelers from Rs 80 to Rs 110, he said in a statement.

Mr Gahlot said the charges of PUC certificates for diesel vehicles has been revised from Rs 100 to Rs 140.

The new rates will be effective as soon as it is notified by the government , he said.

The Delhi government is committed to maintaining the city’s air quality and ensuring that all vehicles meet the required pollution standards, he said.

It was a long-pending demand of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association to keep up with the rising costs of pollution checking services, the minister said.

“Considering the request from the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association and the fact that pollution checking rates have not been revised since 2011, the Delhi government has announced increasing the rates for pollution checking of vehicles in Delhi,” he said.

This revision is necessary to ensure that pollution checking stations can continue to operate efficiently and provide quality services to the public, he added.

The association was advocating for an increase in pollution checking fees. Its representatives had last month met Gahlot with the demand to revise the rates.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

More than 1.5 lakh challans were issued till October 15 this year to vehicle owners driving without pollution under control certificates (PUCC), Delhi Traffic Police said today.

According to data shared by traffic police, a total of 1,58,762 challans were issued till October 15 this year, which is 50,662 more than the number of challans issued during the same period last year.

During the period from January 1 to October 15, 52,388 challans were issued in 2021 and 1,08,100 in 2022.

This year, the maximum number of challans were issued in Daryaganj circle (6,306), followed by Sarita Vihar (6,254), Rajouri Garden (5,595), Shahdara (5,442) and Tilak Nagar (5,252), the data showed.

Traffic police issued most of the challans to motorcycle riders (69,190), followed by scooter riders (49,219), car drivers (33,754) and autorickshaw drivers (1,556).

A total of 81,246 challans were issued in 2019, 69,199 in 2020, 1,04,369 in 2021 and 1,31,799 in 2022, according to the data.

The number of challans in 2020 was comparatively less as there were restrictions on movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Delhi Traffic Police is taking various steps to check and control air pollution in the city, including enforcement of directions issued by Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, National Green Tribunal, Commission for Air Quality Management, Central Pollution Control Board, Environment Department/Delhi Pollution Control Committee and Delhi government, etc. to maintain ambient air quality, an official statement said.

It is mandatory for vehicles plying in India to have valid PUCC and for their drivers to carry a copy of it.

The main purpose behind this is to only allow those vehicles on the roads that are following emission norms as regulated by the central government. The vehicles plying without valid PUCC are fined Rs 10,000, including disqualification of license for three months for the first offence, the statement said.

The increase in the number of challans over the years suggests a growing emphasis on curbing vehicular emissions and promoting cleaner air in the city, the statement said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)