Delhi hikes pollution under control charges for vehicles — Here’s how much it will cost now

The Delhi government hiked charges for the pollution under control (PUC) certificate for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after 13 years on Thursday. Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said the charges for two and three wheelers has been increased from ₹60 to ₹80, and for four wheeler from ₹80 to ₹100.

For petrol and CNG-run four-wheelers, a PUC certificate will now charge ₹110, and for diesel vehicles, it will cost ₹140.

"The Delhi government is committed to maintaining the city's air quality and ensuring that all vehicles meet the required pollution standards," the minister was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

Earlier, the fee for checking pollution in case of petrol and CNG-driven two and three-wheelers is ₹60. It was ₹80 for four-wheelers (petrol) and ₹100 for diesel-run four-wheelers.

The PUCC fees was last hiked in 2011.

Why was PUC charges increased?

The latest development increase in charges came after petrol pump associations across the national capital threatened to shut down Pollution Under Control (PUC) certification centres from Monday. They deferred their strike after the transport minister assured them that their demand for fee hike was being looked into.

What are PUC certificates?

Vehicles are periodically tested for their emission standards for various pollutants such as carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2) after which they are given PUC certificates.

In 2022, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued a notification to make the PUC certificate for all vehicles uniform across the country and also to link the PUC database with the National Register.

In May this year, the Supreme Court said prima facie a right balance will have to be struck for ensuring that vehicles remain compliant with pollution under control (PUC) norms and, at the same time, have third party insurance.

A bench of Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan observed this while hearing an application seeking modification of the apex court's August 10, 2017 order, which said the insurance companies will not insure a vehicle unless it has a valid PUC certificate on the date of renewal of insurance policy.

(With inputs from agencies)