Cameras to check PUC at fuel stations soon across Delhi

According to transport department data from 2023, around 2.2 million vehicles in Delhi were operating without a valid PUC certificate

The Delhi transport department has decided to install cameras at fuel stations across the Capital to penalise vehicle owners who have not renewed their pollution under control (PUC) certificates, officials aware of the proposal said on Wednesday. This project, they said, is in continuation of a pilot project launched at 25 fuel stations, where special cameras have been linked with the mParivahan software to check a vehicle’s PUC status.

The department has now floated a tender to hire an agency to provide digital solutions so that the existing cameras at fuel stations can be used to check whether the vehicles have a valid PUC certificate. (HT Archive)

The department has now floated a tender to hire an agency to provide digital solutions so that the existing cameras at fuel stations can be used to check whether the vehicles have a valid PUC certificate. The estimated cost of the project is ₹6 crore.

According to transport department data from 2023, around 2.2 million vehicles in Delhi were operating without a valid PUC certificate, of which 1.9 million were two-wheelers, officials said.

“We are looking at having a digital solution to mitigate pollution within the city of Delhi. This involves implementing an application that integrates with existing cameras situated at fuel stations. We are introducing it after we realised that the pilot at some of the petrol pumps was successful in getting more people to obtain PUC certificates,” a transport official said, on condition of anonymity.

On September 28, 2023, HT had reported that the transport department’s pilot project at fuel stations in Model Town and Gulabi Bagh had helped track 300-400 vehicles every day. Later, these special cameras were installed at two more fuel stations — at Shastri Nagar and in Shahdara, before the project was expanded to 21 more fuel stations.

Now, officials said, the project will be expanded across Delhi.

“In cases where the petrol pump does not have a camera, the selected firm will have to install cameras at their own expense. In case there is a need to upgrade the existing cameras at any petrol pump, it will also be the responsibility of the company,” the official quoted above said.