Haryana misses ANPR rollout at 2,780 NCR fuel stations

As of 10 Oct 2026, Haryana had not started installing or deploying automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera systems at 2,780 fuel stations in its National Capital Region (NCR) districts by the 30 Sep deadline, The Times of India reported. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has summoned the state’s secretary-in-charge and transport commissioner for 16 Oct, making a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) the document drivers should keep ready before refuelling in the region.

This is an implementation problem around an existing pollution-control direction, not an announcement of a new nationwide fuel rule or a fuel shortage. CAQM’s Direction No. 101 envisages dispensing fuel only after production of a valid PUCC across the NCR from 1 Oct 2026.

Key takeaways

• CAQM’s 8 Oct notice listed on its official website follows a reported failure to start ANPR deployment at 2,780 Haryana-NCR fuel stations by 30 Sep.
• Officials are due to appear before CAQM on 16 Oct with an updated status report and a time-bound action plan.
• Direction No. 101 applies to fuel dispensing in the NCR, not to petrol pumps across India.
• Drivers should check PUCC validity before a refuelling stop and should not assume that a delayed camera rollout cancels the underlying rule.

What happened in Haryana

CAQM’s website lists a notice to the Haryana Transport Department dated 8 Oct 2026. The Times of India reported that the notice followed a review in which the state’s PAVAN portal showed no installation or deployment work at the identified stations as of 30 Sep. The report also said Haryana had not submitted the requested compliance report despite reminders.

CAQM has asked the secretary-in-charge and the transport commissioner to appear at 11 am on 16 Oct in Delhi. They are expected to explain the delay, provide a current status supported by records and submit a plan with definite deadlines for completing and operationalising the ANPR system. Mirror Now separately reported the summons and the missed 30 Sep rollout.

The practical significance is that the rule depends on a working link between the fuel station’s vehicle-recognition system and the databases used to verify compliance. A delay in that infrastructure does not, by itself, amount to a withdrawal of the direction. It does mean drivers may see uneven implementation while the state responds to CAQM.

What CAQM’s PUCC fuel rule says

In its 15 May 2026 press release, CAQM said its approved Draft Direction No. 101 envisaged dispensing fuel only upon production of a valid PUCC with effect from 1 Oct 2026 across the entire NCR. The commission described the measure as a way to address vehicular emissions contributing to PM2.5, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide.

The direction’s geography matters. The NCR includes Delhi and adjoining districts in neighbouring states covered by the commission’s direction; it is not a general rule for every petrol or diesel station in India. Drivers travelling elsewhere should check the applicable local requirements rather than treating the Haryana-NCR update as a national fuel restriction.

CAQM’s June review, published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, also recorded the planned installation and operationalisation of ANPR cameras at fuel and CNG stations in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan for enforcement from 1 Oct. The latest Haryana notice is therefore about delivery of the enforcement system, not a change to the stated effective date.

What drivers should check now

1. Check the PUCC expiry date. Before a trip through Haryana’s NCR districts, verify that the vehicle’s Pollution Under Control Certificate is current. FuelPrice’s PUC certificate check and renewal guide explains where to check validity and what to do when a certificate has expired.
2. Match the vehicle details. Check that the registration number and other basic details on the certificate correspond to the vehicle. A database-linked check can fail or require clarification when records do not match, even if the owner believes the certificate is recent.
3. Allow for an implementation check. The reported delay means the ANPR network may not be operational at every targeted Haryana-NCR station yet. That is not a reason to treat the PUCC requirement as optional. Keep the certificate details accessible and allow extra time if a station asks for verification.
4. Separate compliance from fuel budgeting. This update does not announce a petrol or diesel price revision. Drivers can check current rates on the live fuel prices page and use the fuel-cost calculator to estimate a trip budget separately from the document check.

Who is affected

Private car and two-wheeler users

Anyone seeking fuel at a station covered by the NCR direction can be affected if the vehicle does not have a valid PUCC. The direction is vehicle-focused, so owners should not assume that a private car, motorcycle or scooter is outside its scope simply because the immediate enforcement system is still being installed.

Fleet and delivery operators

For operators with several vehicles, the issue is administrative as much as technical. A missed renewal can interrupt a refuelling stop, while a delayed ANPR rollout can make the process less predictable from one station to another. A single register of certificate expiry dates, linked to each vehicle number, can help operators identify gaps before a route begins.

Drivers entering Haryana’s NCR districts

Visitors who normally refuel outside the region should treat the NCR boundary as relevant to the rule. A vehicle that has a valid certificate for ordinary road use still needs its records to be current when it stops at a covered fuel station. The rule does not turn every route into a toll or permit corridor, but it adds a pollution-certificate check at the point of fuel access.

What to watch next

The next confirmed milestone is the 16 Oct appearance before CAQM. The useful follow-up will be the state’s updated station-by-station status, the revised completion timeline and any clarification on how operators should handle system outages or verification disputes. Until that information is published, the safest reading is that the underlying PUCC direction remains in force while Haryana’s enforcement infrastructure is under review.

For drivers, the takeaway is simple: this is a compliance update, not a panic-buying signal. Check the certificate before leaving, keep the vehicle details consistent and leave room for an additional verification step at a Haryana-NCR fuel station.

Sources

• Commission for Air Quality Management — press release approving Draft Direction No. 101 for PUCC-linked fuel dispensing (15 May 2026)
• Commission for Air Quality Management — Notice to Transport Department Haryana (8 Oct 2026)
• The Times of India — “CAQM summons officers as Haryana fails to install ANPR cams at 2.7k fuel stations” (10 Oct 2026)
• Mirror Now — “Air Quality Commission Summons Haryana Officials Over Failed Camera Rollout at Fuel Stations” (10 Oct 2026)
• Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — “CAQM reviews enforcement measures across key sectors to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR” (13 Jun 2026)