Maharashtra govt mulling policy to deny fuel to unfit vehicles: Minister
The Maharashtra government is contemplating a new policy to combat air pollution by denying fuel to vehicles lacking valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates. Minister Pratap Sarnaik emphasized the alarming rise in air pollution due to conventional fuel vehicles and the prevalence of fake PUC certificates.
During a review meeting with senior officials of the Motor Vehicles Department at Mantralaya, Sarnaik said a stringent policy in this regard will be in place soon.
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Though every vehicle is required to possess a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate, there are reports of fake or improperly obtained certificates, the minister said.
"Only vehicles with valid certificates will be allowed to refuel.
'No PUC, no fuel' will be the guiding principle of the new policy," he said.
Sarnaik also pointed out that technically unfit vehicles were responsible for the deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI) in urban areas, and to address this, the government plans to implement QR code-based PUC certificates and install systems at fuel stations to verify vehicle emission compliance in real-time.
