Delhi Traffic Police took stringent action during Diwali by issuing over 700 challans to vehicle owners for driving without valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, officials reported on Monday.
On November 5, as the city’s air quality entered the ‘Severe Plus’ category, Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the Centre’s pollution control initiative, was activated in Delhi. GRAP categorizes anti-air pollution measures into four stages: Stage I ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300), Stage II ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400), Stage III ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450), and Stage IV ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI > 450). Stage IV imposes a ban on all construction activities and the entry of polluting trucks into the city.
Under the Motor Vehicles Act, the operation of old diesel or petrol vehicles and trucks carrying non-essential goods in the national capital results in a Rs 20,000 fine.
According to police data, on Diwali (November 12), 710 challans were issued for vehicles lacking a valid PUC certificate. Additionally, 584 challans and 1,085 notices were issued for obstructive or improper parking, and 44 vehicles were towed away. Traffic violations included 61 challans for driving against traffic flow and 263 for no-entry violations.
In an attempt to regulate non-essential goods vehicles, 915 were inspected, and 452 were turned away. Only vehicles transporting essential commodities with valid permission were allowed to proceed.
Challans were also issued to 84 BS-III petrol and 336 BS-IV diesel vehicles. Between November 3 and 12, 2,193 challans were issued to BS-III petrol vehicles and 9,903 to BS-IV diesel vehicles. Improper parking violations resulted in 11,051 challans and 14,143 notices during the same period.
A total of 1,156 challans were issued for driving against traffic flow, and 8,005 were issued for no-entry violations. From November 3 to 12, 99 vehicles were impounded, and 12,869 challans were issued for not having valid PUC certificates. Seventeen challans were also issued for vehicles transporting construction and demolition waste without proper covering. During this period, 10,332 vehicles were inspected, and 4,933 were turned away, according to the police.
Areas with the highest instances of commuters lacking a valid PUC certificate included Vasant Vihar, Tughlak Road, and Tilak Nagar. Improper parking was predominantly observed in Vasant Vihar, Tilak Nagar, and Timarpur. Commuters driving against traffic flow faced the most prosecutions in Nangloi, Dwarka, and Badarpur, as reported by the police.
(With PTI inputs)
