‘No PUC, no fuel’ rule to be mandatory across state, says minister Pratap Sarnaik

Maharashtra will soon enforce a "No PUC, no fuel" policy, requiring valid pollution certificates at petrol pumps, with measures against fake PUCs.

Pune: Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday said that the government will soon implement the “No PUC, no fuel” initiative across all petrol pumps in the state, making it mandatory for every vehicle to possess a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate before refueling.

Mumbai, India - February 20, 2023: BSS (Shinde faction) MLAs Sanjay Shirsat, Pratap Sarnaik and Sada Sarvankar speak to the media after taking control of Shiv Sena’s party office, at Vidhan Bhavan, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 20, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Sarnaik was speaking at a review meeting held at the state transport commissioner’s office and attended by transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar, joint secretary (transport) Rajendra Holkar and other officials.

The minister said that every petrol pump will soon be equipped with CCTV cameras to scan registration number of vehicles arriving for fueling. The digital system will verify whether the vehicle has a valid PUC certificate. To avoid inconvenience to vehicle owners, arrangements will also be made at petrol pumps for immediate issuance of PUC certificate. The government plans to extend the facility to vehicle showrooms and repair garages.

Sarnaik has directed the transport department to launch a strong crackdown on illegal networks currently engaged in issuing fake PUC certificates.

“If we want to give a clean and pollution-free environment to our future generations, then today’s generation must take responsibility. Every vehicle must have a valid PUC certificate, and the illegal chain of fake certificates has to be broken.” he said.