Pollution-related traffic challans up amid crackdown

The action comes on the heel of the Central Air Quality Commission (CAQM) implementing the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) in the Capital on October 15 to combat the rising air pollution.

At least 140 end-of-life vehicles were impounded and 4,800 challaned every day in Delhi between October 15 and December 18 for plying without a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificates, according to police data on the crackdown launched as part of its anti-pollution measures in the city.

The PUC document violations have increased to 535,587 so far this year as against 232,885 tickets in the same duration last year and 164,638 in 2022. (HT Photo)

The action comes on the heel of the Central Air Quality Commission (CAQM) implementing the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) in the Capital on October 15 to combat the rising air pollution.

ELVs are diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. These vehicles are restricted to ply under Delhi’s vehicle scrappage policy.

Further, as many as 13 vehicles were challaned every day during the said period for carrying construction and demolition (C&D) waste and construction materials without covering them properly, the data by Delhi traffic police shows.

In total, the traffic police impounded 8,907 ELVs and issued challans to 307,360 in the two-month period for not carrying PUC certificates while 856 vehicles were issued tickets for carrying C&D waste.

As per the traffic police data, the PUC document violations have increased to 535,587 so far this year as against 232,885 tickets in the same duration last year and 164,638 in 2022.

The Delhi traffic police had taken action against 405 vehicles in 2022 and 779 in 2023 for carrying C&D waste.

Senior traffic police officers attributed the increased numbers of challans to intense checks being undertaken by the city police personnel against traffic offenders. They said the prosecuting teams have also been increased as the issue of deteriorating air quality levels in the Capital and the required actions are being monitored by the Supreme Court.

Dinesh Kumar Gupta, additional commissioner of police (traffic), said, “Since the Grap stages were imposed in the city, we are focusing more on air pollution related violators... One traffic police staff has been equipped with the challan machine and has been deployed in each Prakhar van to assist the police control room (PCR) personnel. We have also been acting against BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles that are banned when Grap stages 3 and 4 were implemented in the city. These are the reasons for the increased number of challans this year,” added additional CP Gupta.

Apart from the pollution-related violations, the traffic police said that challans against improper parking, driving against the flow of traffic, and no-entry violations have also increased this year. As per the traffic police data, 506,667 vehicles were fined for improper parking this year till December 18 while the challans for the same violations were 470,771 and 358,067 in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Similarly, challans for wrong side driving doubled this year as 102,476 drivers were prosecuted for this violation till December 18 while the number was 59,527 last year and 43,768 in 2022. A total of 144,550 vehicles were challaned till December 18 after they were caught violating the no-entry restrictions. In 2023 and 2022, the numbers of challans for the violation were 114,646 and 84,067, respectively. The action against drivers for not driving in designated lanes increased to 4,682 this year from last year’s 1,732 and 1,829 in 2022.

Driving vehicles without valid PUC certificates attract a fine of ₹10,000 to the driver while ₹20,000 is collected from the driver or owner of the vehicle that is found carrying C&D waste without covering it properly. Lane driving violation fine is ₹1,000 for private vehicles and ₹10,000 for commercial vehicles. A driver is issued a challan of ₹5,000 if he or she is caught driving against the flow of traffic. No entry violation fine is ₹20,000 for goods and passenger vehicles, a traffic police officer said.