Due to bad air in Odisha, vehicles without PUC certificate will not get fuel from February 1. The minister has assured to reconsider the heavy fine. Similar strict rules have been implemented to control pollution in Delhi also.
Bhubaneswar: Odisha Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena on Monday defended the state government’s decision to ban petrol and diesel from vehicles without valid ‘Pollution Under Control’ certificate. He said that this step is not new and is necessary in view of the deteriorating air quality. “This is not a new rule. We had written a letter to get it implemented so that people without pollution certificates cannot buy petrol or diesel,” Jena told ANI. Questioning people’s anger, he said, “I don’t understand why people are so angry over this. The AQI (air quality index) is bad in Odisha.”
The minister acknowledged concerns about the fine and its enforcement and said the matter would be reconsidered. “People are complaining that heavy fines are being imposed. I will think over the matter,” he said. He also confirmed that this rule will come into effect from February 1. The move by the Odisha government comes amid strict measures against pollution in the country’s capital, where authorities have started strictly enforcing similar rules.
In Delhi, as part of emergency measures to curb rising pollution levels, vehicles without a valid ‘Pollution Under Control Certificate’ (PUCC) are being barred from fueling at petrol pumps. Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa recently visited several petrol pumps to ensure compliance with this directive. The Delhi government, through the Department of Environment and Forests, has issued instructions under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, mandating that only vehicles with a valid PUC certificate be supplied with oil.
Additionally, Delhi’s notification prohibits the entry of vehicles registered outside the capital and running below BS-VI emission standards, and also bans trucks carrying construction material during GRAP Stage IV (severe+) pollution conditions. These steps have been taken after the Supreme Court allowed action against vehicles running below BS-IV standards in NCR. Transport teams in Delhi-NCR have intensified testing as part of concerted efforts to improve air quality.