Bhubaneswar: In a significant move to ease public hardship while promoting environmental compliance, the Odisha government has granted a temporary relaxation in the strict enforcement of Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) for vehicles across the state.
The decision came even as the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) raised concerns over Odisha’s low coverage of PUCC and implementation of key road safety measures during the recent Transport Development Council (TDC) meeting held January 7-8 in New Delhi.
Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena announced that no fines will be imposed for vehicles lacking a valid PUC certificate until April 1. Additionally, e-detection systems at toll gates, which automatically flag pollution-related violations, will remain suspended during this period.
“The relaxation is aimed at facilitating greater compliance rather than weakening environmental standards,” Minister Jena stated, emphasising that obtaining a PUC certificate remains mandatory under the Motor Vehicles Act.
He urged vehicle owners to use this grace period to renew or obtain their certificates and advised against using highly polluting vehicles.
The government has also initiated a review of the existing Rs 10,000 penalty for PUC violations under the Motor Vehicles Act, exploring options to rationalise it for better feasibility.
This relief followed previous extensions of related measures, including delays in the ‘no PUC, no fuel’ rule at petrol pumps, which has been pushed to align with post-relaxation enforcement amid ongoing challenges in obtaining the certificates, with reports highlighting long queues at testing centres in recent weeks.
According to available data, only about 21% of vehicles in Odisha currently hold valid PUC certificates, underscoring widespread non-compliance but also practical difficulties faced by owners. While PUCC of around 60 lakh vehicles has not been renewed, close to 20 lakh vehicle owners have never applied for the certificate after purchase (exempt for one year post-registration).