Vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) will face restrictions on refuelling across the National Capital Region from October 1, as authorities step up enforcement of the “No PUCC, No Fuel” policy. In Delhi, the campaign will be implemented in “mission mode” at all 500 fuel stations equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. The measure is part of the Commission for Air Quality Management’s Direction 101, which provides for dispensing fuel only to vehicles with a valid PUCC across the NCR from October 1, 2026.

The policy is intended to make it more difficult for vehicles to operate without valid emissions certification and is being introduced ahead of the winter pollution season. Delhi’s 2026-27 Winter Action Plan also includes stricter checks on vehicles and other measures aimed at reducing pollution. Under the new system, ANPR cameras at participating fuel stations can identify vehicle registration numbers, allowing authorities and fuel stations to check whether the vehicle has a valid pollution certificate. Fuel stations that fail to comply with the directive could face action.

However, having a valid PUCC does not necessarily mean that a vehicle is a low polluter across all types of emissions. Amit Bhatt, India managing director at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), said the existing PUC test measures only certain pollutants. For petrol, CNG and LPG vehicles, the test checks carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons, while diesel vehicles are primarily tested for smoke opacity. Other important pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM) and particle numbers (PN), are not directly measured by the standard test.

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This means a vehicle can pass its PUC test while still producing relatively high levels of pollutants that are not covered by the test. Real-world emissions can also vary depending on a vehicle’s age, mileage, maintenance, driving conditions and load. An ICCT-led study involving more than 100,000 vehicles across 20 locations in Delhi and Gurugram found differences in emissions between vehicle categories. The study found that some BS-VI commercial vehicles produced substantially more NOx than private cars, while certain CNG vehicles also recorded significant real-world emissions.

The issue is particularly relevant for newer diesel vehicles equipped with advanced pollution-control systems. Modern diesel vehicles commonly use diesel particulate filters, or DPFs, to capture soot. Yet the existing diesel PUC test relies on smoke opacity and does not directly measure particle numbers or NOx. Experts have therefore pointed to technologies such as particle-number testing and roadside remote sensing as possible ways to identify high-emitting vehicles under real-world driving conditions. Remote sensing systems can scan vehicle exhaust emissions as vehicles pass monitoring equipment, potentially allowing authorities to identify vehicles that warrant further inspection.

The “No PUCC, No Fuel” policy is therefore expected to improve compliance with existing pollution certification requirements, but the extent to which it reduces overall vehicular emissions will depend on the quality of testing and whether high-emitting vehicles are effectively identified and repaired or removed from the road. Concerns have also been raised about variations in testing practices at PUC centres. For vehicle owners across Delhi-NCR, the immediate requirement from October 1 is straightforward: ensure that the vehicle has a valid PUCC before attempting to refuel. The broader challenge for authorities will be determining whether existing certification systems accurately identify the vehicles contributing most to air pollution.

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