Delhi PUC Enforcement Drive Starts From October 1

The Delhi government will start an enforcement drive against vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates from October 1, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced, according to PTI. The move comes alongside the expansion of automated vehicle testing infrastructure in the capital as the Centre steps up its year-round efforts to address air pollution. Gupta made the announcement while inaugurating an Automated Testing Station (ATS) in Burari. 

This come as Delhi approaches the winter period, when air quality typically becomes a heightened health concern. 

She added the government would also strengthen the system used to monitor PUC centres, with technology being deployed to improve the reliability and functioning of facilities issuing pollution certificates.

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"We want to ensure that every person in Delhi gets clean air to breathe. This enforcement will be done to check whether the Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates are valid. Delhi government is working round the year to reduce air pollution; this is one step towards that," she was quoted as saying by PTI.

The Burari ATS is a five-lane facility with an annual testing capacity of up to one lakh vehicles. Of this, 40,000 tests can be conducted on heavy motor vehicles and another 60,000 on light motor vehicles. The facility has been described by the Delhi government as one of the largest automated vehicle testing stations in the country.

Gupta said the facility would provide greater scope for checking commercial vehicles against prescribed pollution and fitness requirements.

The testing process is designed to reduce reliance on manual assessment. It will examine parameters including braking efficiency, suspension performance, headlight condition, side-slip, emission levels and the underside of vehicles.

The Centre is also looking to tighten oversight of Delhi's network of PUC centres. Gupta said cameras are being installed at all centres that issue pollution certificates, with technology-based monitoring intended to make the system more effective and reliable.

The October 1 enforcement date places greater emphasis on the validity of vehicle pollution certificates rather than limiting pollution-control measures to the winter months. The Delhi government has described pollution control as a year-round exercise covering transport, electric mobility, green cover, waste management and technology-based monitoring.

The Burari facility is the latest addition to Delhi's automated vehicle-testing network. An ATS at Tehkhand, with an annual capacity of around 72,000 vehicles, was inaugurated on September 3, while the Nand Nagri facility is also operational. With the three stations, Delhi's total automated testing capacity has crossed 2.5 lakh vehicles annually, according to the Delhi government.

For vehicle owners, particularly those operating commercial fleets, the expansion means greater use of automated fitness assessment alongside stricter scrutiny of PUC compliance. The government is simultaneously seeking to make the certification network more closely monitored through technology.