Delhi Pollution: Over 61,000 PUCCs Issued, 3746 Vehicles Fined In First 24 Hours Of 'No PUCC, No Fuel' Rule
As Delhi continues to struggle with dangerous pollution levels, government has tightened rules under GRAP-4. Over 61,000 PUC certificates were issued in just 24 hours.
Published : December 19, 2025 at 7:49 AM IST
New Delhi: With pollution choking national capital and its residents, the Delhi government on Thursday enforced the 'No PUCC, No Fuel' norm in the city and tightened rules under GRAP-4. As a result, on the first day of the enforcement, over 61,000 Pollution Under Control Certificates (PUCCs) were issued, while challans were issued against nearly 3800 violators.
Officials said more than 61,000 vehicle owners visited various centres in the last 24 hours to obtain PUC certificates. The government's "No PUCC, No Fuel' campaign has been strictly implemented along with stronger checks on non-Delhi vehicles that do not meet the BS-VI emission norms, to reduce vehicular pollution.
Following the government orders, petrol pumps across Delhi have stopped dispensing fuel to vehicles that do not possess valid PUC certificates.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa made surprise inspections at several petrol pumps, including those near Delhi-Gurugram border and Janpath, to see if the "No PUCC, No Fuel' rule was being followed properly. He interacted with fuel station staffers and asked them to strictly implement the rules but remain calm and courteous with people. The minister also directed them to ensure clear signboards, make regular announcements and manage queues in a better manner.
In addition to this, the government is developing a carpooling app and upgrading the Green Delhi App with AI-based features to ensure faster resolution of citizens' complaints and increase public participation.
The minister said, "Despite clear directives issued under GRAP-4, some private offices are still not allowing 50 percent of their staff to work from home."
He instructed these institutions to comply with government orders and warned that strict action will be taken against those who do not follow the rules.
Under orders from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), GRAP-4 is currently in force in the national capital. Intensive enforcement drives were carried out and fines were issued. A total of 210 enforcement teams including 126 from Delhi Traffic Police and 84 teams from Delhi Transport Department, were deployed on the first day of the enforcement. During inspection, strict action was taken against vehicles without valid PUC.
The Delhi Traffic Police issued 2,743 challans, Transport Department issued 316 challans, while 687 challans were issued through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. In total, 3,746 challans were issued against vehicles without valid PUC.
This apart, action was also taken for violations of GRAP rules. For this category, the Delhi Traffic Police issued 363 challans, and the Transport Department issued 34, making a total of 397 challans.
According to PUCC and challan data, 29,938 PUCCs were issued on December 17, and by 5:20 PM on December 18, another 31,974 certificates were issued, crossing 61,000 certificates in about one day. The Transport Department believes more people will get their PUCCs before refuelling now. In the last 24 hours alone, 3746 vehicles were fined for not having valid PUCC. On the first day of the drive, joint teams checked about 5,000 vehicles at border points and turned back 568 vehicles for violating rules.
In the last 24 hours, action was also taken on four major fronts to control pollution:
- Machine cleaning of 2,300 km of roads
- Use of mobile anti-smog guns across 5,524 km area
- Closure of 132 illegal waste dumping sites
- Diversion of 217 non-destination trucks
- Disposal of about 38,019 metric tonnes of old landfill waste
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