Delhi to set up 400 spl cameras to check PUC status

Delhi will install cameras at 400 fuel stations by December to identify vehicles lacking pollution certificates, amid rising air quality concerns.

The Delhi transport department will by the end of December set up special cameras at 400 fuel stations across the Capital that will help identify vehicles where the owner has not renewed the pollution under control (PUC) certificates, officials aware of the proposal said on Saturday.

The cameras are mostly placed near PUC testing centres at fuel stations. (File)

The transport department has already installed 189 special cameras at Delhi’s fuel stations to monitor PUC violations in the city. The cameras are mostly placed near PUC testing centres at fuel stations.

Delhi has around 950 PUC checking centres, according to transport department data.

Transport officials said efforts have been intensified over the past month, with the air quality levels deteriorating.

“Over the last one year, around 100 cameras were installed, while in the last 50 days, 89 more locations have been covered. We are moving fast on this project. We have now also asked the vendor to cover 400 locations by December,” said an official.

The penalty for not having a valid PUC is ₹10,000, and officials said that so far, these cameras have helped generate more than 43,000 challans.

Earlier, in September 2023, HT had reported that the transport department had set up these cameras as a pilot project at fuel stations in Model Town and Gulabi Bagh, which helped officials track 300-400 vehicles every day. Later, these cameras were installed at two more fuel stations —in Shastri Nagar and in Shahdara — before the project was expanded to 21 more locations.

Experts, however, have questioned the premise of issuing PUC certificates.

“All Indian vehicles with combustion engines must undergo annual emissions testing at designated government centres. These PUC tests are limited. They are often conducted when a vehicle is switched on but stationary. Also, while parameters such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are checked, PM 10 and PM 2.5 levels are not. For diesel vehicles, the parameter is smoke density or opacity of the emission and not even the level of pollutants. India needs to shift towards real-world emission measurements, reimagining its emission testing procedure,” said Amit Bhatt, managing director (India), International Council of Clean Transport (ICCT).