No fuel without PUCC, non-BS6 vehicles barred: What the permanent GRAP curbs mean for Delhiites
Delhi environment minister said said petrol would not be dispensed to vehicles without a valid PUCC until further orders.
Two key restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-4 will now be enforced “permanently” in Delhi as part of measures to tackle ‘severe’ air pollution, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Friday.
The curbs relate to mandatory Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) for refuelling vehicles and a ban on the entry of non-Bharat Stage VI (BS6) vehicles from outside the capital.
Air quality in the capital remained close to the “severe” category on Sunday, with the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app showing the overall air quality index (AQI) at 391 at 6 am. An AQI reading above 400 is classified as “severe.”
What the permanent curbs are
Announcing the decision, Sirsa said petrol would not be dispensed to vehicles without a valid PUCC until further orders. The Delhi government had earlier notified this decision following a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Rekha Gupta, making it compulsory for all vehicle owners to carry a valid certificate.
“From now on, it has been decided that out of the restrictions under GRAP-4, we have made two restrictions permanent. The first one is PUCC. You will not get petrol anywhere without a PUCC certificate until next orders,” Sirsa said.
PUC certificate refers to Pollution Under Control certificates which are issued after a simple emission check of vehicles at authorised PUC centers, across the national capital.
Non-BS6 vehicles barred from entering Delhi
The second GRAP-4 restriction that will now continue indefinitely is the ban on the entry of vehicles that do not meet BS6 emission standards.
BS6 refers to the latest Bharat Stage (BS) emission standards which imply legal limits on air pollutants released by vehicles. Simply put, Bharat Stage or BS norms decide how clean or polluting a vehicle is allowed to be.
“Vehicles from outside Delhi that are below Bharat Stage VI (BS6) will also face restrictions on entering Delhi,” PTI news agency quoted Sirsa as saying.
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The minister reiterated that vehicular emissions remain a major contributor to the capital’s air pollution levels. “A vehicle running without a valid PUC certificate is no less than committing a crime against Delhi’s air,” he said.
All new cars sold and registered in India on or after april 1, 2020 are BS6-compliant.
Long queues and confusion at fuel stations
When the rule was first rolled out earlier last week, several petrol pumps across Delhi saw long queues as staff checked PUCCs before dispensing fuel. Motorists without valid certificates were turned away.
While officials maintained that the drive helped ensure compliance with pollution norms, several motorists complained of chaos and confusion, alleging that the government’s directions were “ambiguous.”
Meanwhile, transport department data shows a sharp rise in the number of certificates issued following the enforcement. As many as 29,938 PUCCs were issued on December 17, followed by another 31,974 by 5pm on December 18, taking the total to over 61,000 in just two days.
This marks nearly a twofold jump compared to the daily average of 16,000–17,000 PUCCs issued in the previous week. At several locations, queues for PUC testing were reported to be longer than those for refuelling.
Transporters raise concerns
While the new rules are being enforced strictly across Delhi, the All India Motor and Goods Transport Association (AIMGTA) raised concerns, claiming that petrol pump staff were insisting on physical PUCCs despite the government’s stated position that checks would be conducted through the automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system.
Fuel station staff, meanwhile, reported heated exchanges with customers. At a fuel station on Mathura Road, attendants said motorists argued after being denied fuel initially.
“They kept asking us to recheck the rules. Eventually, most of them went for the PUC test,” an attendant said.
