NEW DELHI: Over 260,000 vehicles in Delhi have been fined for lacking Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCC) in the last 50 days. Authorities collected over ₹260 crore in fines as part of a crackdown on air pollution.
The Delhi government’s Environment Department issued 260,258 challans between October 16 and December 6 under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The plan outlines different stages of action based on air quality.
Stage 1 (October 16-22) resulted in 12,756 challans. Stage 2 (October 22-November 14) saw 111,235 challans. During the brief Stage 3 (November 15-17), 13,938 challans were issued. Stage 4 (November 18-December 5), the strictest level, saw 114,089 challans. An additional 8,240 challans were issued since December 5 when the city returned to Stage 2.
Each motorist without a PUCC faces a ₹10,000 fine.
Delhi’s air quality reached 450 on November 17, entering the “severe plus” category. This prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to implement Stage 4 measures, which included banning non-essential trucks entering the city. Exemptions were made for vehicles carrying essential goods or using clean fuels.
GRAP, implemented in 2017, guides anti-pollution measures in Delhi and surrounding areas.