Haryana has begun enforcing the “no PUC, no fuel” rule in its districts within the National Capital Region, requiring petrol pumps and CNG stations to deny fuel to vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC). The rule took effect from 1 October and applies to petrol, diesel and CNG purchases, according to directions issued by the Haryana Transport Department under instructions from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
The measure places fuel station operators at the centre of vehicle-emission enforcement. Before dispensing fuel, station staff must check whether a vehicle has a valid PUCC. The verification will initially be carried out manually at outlets where the automatic system is not yet operational.
The state plans to use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at fuel stations to check vehicle registration numbers against the online PUC database. The system is intended to allow the validity of a vehicle’s certificate to be verified through its registration number before fuel is dispensed.
Until ANPR cameras are fully installed and activated across Haryana’s NCR districts, petrol pump staff will be responsible for checking certificates. Operators have been instructed to ensure that employees verify the PUCC of every vehicle before supplying fuel. Vehicles whose owners or drivers cannot produce a valid certificate must be denied fuel and directed to a nearby authorised PUC testing centre.
The instructions also require fuel stations to display warning boards in both English and Hindi informing motorists about the restriction. Where a vehicle is being used for government work and does not have a valid PUCC, the vehicle registration number must be recorded, according to the directions reported by Live Hindustan – NCR.
Non-compliance with the rule may attract a penalty of up to Rs 10,000. The enforcement mechanism is part of Haryana’s measures to control pollution in its NCR districts, where vehicle emissions are being addressed through stricter implementation of emission standards and expanded monitoring at fuel outlets.
The rule creates a direct link between a vehicle document and access to fuel. For motorists, the immediate requirement is to keep a valid PUCC while refuelling. For fuel station operators, the directions create a new compliance obligation involving document checks, staff procedures, possible refusal of service and, eventually, integration with an online database through ANPR cameras.
The arrangements also leave a transition phase for implementation. Manual checking will continue at stations until the camera-based system becomes fully operational. The directions do not specify in the supplied report a completion deadline for installing and activating ANPR systems across all affected outlets.
The Haryana Transport Department’s instructions call on petrol pump operators to implement the checks immediately and guide vehicles without valid certificates to authorised testing centres. The rule will continue to be enforced through manual verification and ANPR-based checks as the automated system is rolled out.
