In view of the continuously deteriorating air quality in the national capital Delhi, the government has started taking strict action on pollution caused by vehicles. In this series, Delhi Transport Department started the ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ campaign. On the very first day of this campaign, around 2,800 vehicles without valid Pollution Control Certificate (PUC) were stopped from providing fuel at petrol pumps. The objective of the department is to strictly enforce emission standards and improve air quality.
3,746 challans were issued on the first day
According to Transport Department officials, during the campaign conducted from 6 am on Thursday to 6 am on Friday, a large number of vehicles were caught which did not have valid PUC certificates. During this period, not only fuel was denied, but action was also taken against the drivers who violated the rules. A total of 3,746 challans were issued on the first day. Officials say that monitoring will be made more strict in the coming days, so that vehicle pollution can be effectively controlled.
To make this special campaign successful, Delhi Transport Department and Delhi Traffic Police together deployed a total of 210 enforcement teams. Of these, 126 teams were from the traffic police and 84 teams were from the transport department. These teams are checking at major intersections and petrol pumps, so that vehicles without PUC do not get fuel.
What did Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa say?
It is noteworthy that earlier this week, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa had announced that now fuel will not be given to vehicles without a valid PUC certificate at any petrol pump in the capital. After this decision, awareness increased among the people and there was a sharp increase in the number of people getting PUC certificate made. According to official data, 31,197 PUC certificates were issued on December 17, while the number was 17,732 the day before. That means an increase of about 76 percent was recorded in just 24 hours.
Every year, Delhi’s air pollution becomes serious during the winter season. The Air Quality Index (AQI) often reaches above 300 in the ‘poor’ category and sometimes crosses 400 in the ‘severe’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s AQI was recorded at 377 on Friday afternoon, which falls in the ‘very poor’ category.
Meanwhile, an important decision related to education has also been taken. Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood announced that air purifiers will be installed in 10,000 classrooms in the capital to provide clean air to students. He said that the government is committed to solving the problem of pollution through long-term policies and administrative reforms rather than short-term measures.
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