Delhi govt tightens ‘no PUC, no fuel’ rule, data shows over 15K vehicles denied fuel in four days

In a renewed push to curb vehicular pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government has intensified enforcement of its “no PUC, no fuel” rule, leading to over 15,000 vehicles being turned away from fuel stations in just four days from April 26 to 29, as per data accessed by the PTI.

The move signals a stricter on-ground implementation of existing norms to tackle the city’s persistent air quality crisis.

This comes after the government, on April 22, reiterated that vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate will not be provided fuel in Delhi.

While the provision was introduced in October 2025, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had called for stricter implementation of the same in April this year.

An official told PTI, “A significant number of vehicles without a valid PUC certificate are being denied fuel daily. In just four days, for example, over 15,000 vehicles were turned down.”

According to the data accessed by the PTI, 3,525 vehicles were denied fuel by fuelling stations on April 26 for not having a valid PUCC; 4,012 vehicles were denied it on April 27; 4,235 vehicles on April 28 and 3,906 vehicles on April 29.

The total number of vehicles for the four days stood at 15,678, which corresponded to the number of vehicles found without a valid PUC at nine depots across Delhi and one in Noida.

“The numbers are in sync with the government’s attempts for stricter implementation of the ‘no PUC, no fuel’ policy, so that effective control over vehicular pollution can be ensured, ” the official said.

Under Rule 115 (sub-rule 7) of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, every vehicle must carry a valid PUC certificate after one year of registration and produce it on demand.

However, in April this year, the government noted that despite implementation of the rule, a large number of vehicles continued to operate without valid certification, significantly aggravating pollution levels in the city.