Delhi is tightening vehicle pollution and fitness certification checks by installing cameras at every Pollution Under Control centre and expanding automated testing for commercial vehicles, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said, as the capital seeks to address gaps in its vehicle-emissions monitoring system.
The government has also opened automated vehicle testing stations at Tehkhand and Nand Nagri for commercial vehicles. The facilities are intended to reduce manual intervention in fitness certification and make the testing process more transparent through digitally recorded assessments.
The move follows concerns over the effectiveness of pollution testing at centres, including facilities operating near petrol pumps. Gupta said the government identified weaknesses in the existing system while working on measures to tackle Delhi’s pollution. She said commercial vehicles were receiving fitness certificates from centres using old technology, while private vehicles were obtaining pollution certificates from booths outside petrol pumps.
“While working on solutions to pollution, we identified a major gap. Commercial vehicles were getting fitness certificates from centres using old technology, while private vehicles were getting pollution certificates from booths outside petrol pumps,” Gupta said, according to the Millennium Post report.
To strengthen oversight, the government will upgrade and equip every pollution testing centre with cameras. “We decided to strengthen monitoring. Every pollution centre will be upgraded and equipped with cameras,” Gupta said. The report does not specify a completion deadline for the camera installation programme.
The automated facilities will carry out checks on vehicle emissions, brakes, suspension, underbody condition and headlamp alignment. The process is designed to rely largely on digital equipment and minimal human intervention, with the aim of generating test results that can be monitored more closely by authorities.
The Nand Nagri station has four automated testing lanes: two for heavy motor vehicles, one for light motor vehicles and one for two-wheelers. It is housed in a 40-metre by 26-metre pre-engineered building and can test up to 72,000 vehicles annually, including about 20,000 two-wheelers.
The Nand Nagri and Tehkhand stations will add capacity to Delhi’s automated vehicle-testing network, which already includes a facility at Jhuljhuli in southwest Delhi. The report does not provide the combined annual capacity of the two newly opened centres.
A PUC certificate is mandatory for vehicles and records registration details, emission readings and the certificate’s validity period. The automated fitness system applies to checks beyond emissions, including mechanical and safety-related conditions that determine whether a commercial vehicle qualifies for certification.
Gupta said controlling vehicular pollution would require action across several areas rather than reliance on one intervention. “Pollution needs a 360-degree response. Together, we will find the solution. Delhi will win this fight,” she said. The next implementation step announced by the government is the planned upgrade and camera installation at pollution testing centres across the capital.
