Delhi Pollution News: No fuel without pollution certificate at petrol pumps

New Delhi: Police personnel monitor a petrol pump following a fuel ban on end-of-life vehicles led by the Commission for Air Quality Management | Photo credit: Shahbaz Khan

As the deadline approaches, vehicle owners are rushing to update their PUCCs. The government has directed petrol pump operators to verify the validity of PUCCs before refueling vehicles. Automatic license plate recognition systems and ground checks will be used to verify PUCC status and emission categories.

This initiative is part of Delhi’s broader efforts to combat pollution, including restrictions on non-BS-VI vehicles and promotion of electric mobility. The city aims to reduce pollution levels and improve air quality, especially during the peak winter months.

However, certain drivers have criticized this move saying that the new rule, “They keep spraying water at places thinking that AQI will decrease. If they want to spend so much money, why not spend it on AQI? Last year Kejriwal government had installed so many filters and purifiers, where are they? Why didn’t pollution decrease then? If they do this, pollution will decrease? Other states do not have this pollution; why has it increased only in Delhi? Every other place also sells gasoline,” says one of the drivers. the drivers said as they waited for his certificate to be updated. “This will put people in trouble, people won’t be able to go to the office, people will suffer losses. They will be desperate. People got (their certificates) updated before, and they are still doing it. Yesterday I also tried, but it didn’t happen, that’s why I’m here today,” he said. Besides updating the PUCC norms for vehicles, the Delhi government has started implementing short-term measures to improve air quality in the national capital amid widespread public pressure and health concerns.

According to Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the government will map potholes, launch a carpooling app, implement an integrated traffic management system and continue solid waste management. “According to the previous (AQI) data we have, the days do not seem to be better compared to last year. The coming week is not expected to be much better, given the previous (AQI) figures,” Sirsa said at a press conference here. Sirsa criticized the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for “spreading a disease” in the national capital and said, “Our government has taken several measures, we are already working on long-term solutions.

This is a disease caused by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) after so many years. This is a disease caused by AAP’s Arvind Kejriwal and no one else. They got this disease and ran away to Punjab. “The Delhi minister said the government is tackling pollution by tackling its various causes, including vehicular, dust, industrial and solid waste pollution. He also urged people to get their PUCC certificates as soon as possible. “We process more than 90 percent of solid waste, and more than 9,000 tonnes are processed every day. For vehicular pollution, certain measures, such as cars, must meet pollution control standards. From tomorrow, vehicles in Delhi without an updated PUCC certificate will no longer be able to purchase fuel at stations. I request people to get their Pollution Control Certificate quickly,” he said.

Delhi’s Environment Minister highlighted the problems of potholes and how they can lead to increased pollution due to increasing pressure on cars. He said that to comply with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s directive, a permanent third-party team will be formed to map all potholes. “Potholes are a major problem in Delhi. The previous government left us with broken roads, and on day 1 the PwD minister started addressing them.

We have issued a tender via DPCC to hire an external agency. The third party will be a permanent team for a year, which will conduct surveys across Delhi and collect data on potholes,” he said. To plug such potholes, the government plans to use Annual Rate Contracts (ARCs) instead of floating tenders to expedite the work. “To plug these potholes too, Prime Minister Rekha Gupta has directed that all potholes should be filled within 72 hours.

But to implement this direction, all departments have been directed to get Annual Rate Contract (ARC) so that no tender is required and the pothole can be closed on the same day,” he said. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the national capital saw a slight improvement in air quality on Wednesday morning, with the Overall Air Quality Index (AQI) standing at 328 at around 8 am, compared to Tuesday’s AQI on 354 at 4 p.m. in the ‘very poor’ category.

Published on December 18, 2025