Common Format for Issuance of PUC (Pollution Under Control Certificate) Across the Country

Context:

Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has issued a notification dated 14^thJune, 2021 for a common format of the PUC (Pollution Under Control) Certificate to be issued across the country, under Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989.

What is a PUC Certificate or Pollution Under Control Certificate?

The full form of PUC Certificate is Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC). The certificate acts as an approval document which contains the emission levels of your vehicle, and if they are within the stipulated pollution norms. This is done through authorized emission testing centres which are usually situated in petrol pumps across India.

The PUCC is issued by the government after testing the emission levels of your car or bike and certifying your vehicle that emission levels are within the required norms. The Ministry of Transport has mandated through the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1989 that a PUC Certificate must be carried by the driver or rider of the vehicle at all times.

The salient features of the PUCC are as under new notification-  

• Introduction of uniform Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUC) format across the country and linking the PUC database with the National Register.
• The concept of Rejection slip is being introduced for the first time. A common format of rejection slip is to be given to the vehicle owner in case the test result value is more than the maximum permissible value, as mandated in the concerned emission norms. This document can be shown at the service centre for getting the vehicle serviced or can be used, in case the PUCC centre device is not working properly when tested at another centre.
• There will be confidentiality of information viz.
  • Vehicle owner’s mobile number, name and address
  • engine number and chassis number (only the last four digits to be visible, the other digits shall be masked) 
• The owner’s mobile number has been made mandatory, on which an SMS alert will be sent for validation and fee.   
• If the enforcement officer has reason to believe that a motor vehicle is not complying with provisions of Emission standards, he may communicate in writing or through electronic mode to direct the driver or any person in-charge of the vehicle to submit the vehicle for conducting the test in any one of the authorized Pollution Under Control (PUC) testing stations. If the driver or person in-charge of the vehicle fails to submit the vehicle for compliance or the vehicle fails to comply, the owner of the vehicle shall be liable for payment of penalty.

If the owner fails to comply with this, the registering authority shall, for reasons to be recorded in writing, suspend the certificate of registration of the vehicle and any permit granted, until such time a valid “Pollution under Control “certificate is generated.

• Thus, enforcement would be IT-enabled and would help in better control over polluting vehicles. 
• The QR code shall be printed on the form. It will contain the complete information about the PUC Centre. 

Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB)

• The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) of India is a statutory organization under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• Established in 1974 under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act and later entrusted with functions and responsibilities under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
• Water Pollution: 
  • Water pollution can be defined as the contamination of water bodies. Water pollution is caused when water bodies such as rivers, lakes, oceans, groundwater, and aquifers get contaminated with industrial and agricultural effluents.
• Air Pollution: 
  • Air pollution refers to any physical, chemical or biological change in the air. It is the contamination of air by harmful gases, dust and smoke which affects plants, animals, and humans drastically. Click here to read about Air Pollutants.
• It coordinates the activities of the State Pollution Control Boards by providing technical assistance and guidance and also resolves disputes among them.

Source: PIB