‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ in Noida and Ghaziabad from October 1: Petrol and diesel will not be available without pollution certificate, know the new rule

To crack down on air pollution in Delhi-NCR before the winter season, the Uttar Pradesh government and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) have completed preparations to implement a historic and strict decision. From October 1, 2026, at all petrol pumps located in the major districts of Uttar Pradesh—Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar) and Ghaziabad—falling under the National Capital Region (NCR). ‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ The rule will be compulsorily implemented.

Under this new policy, if the Pollution Control Certificate (PUCC) of your two-wheeler, four-wheeler or commercial vehicle has expired, then despite standing in the queue for refueling, the pump staff will flatly refuse to give you petrol, diesel or CNG. The aim of the administration is to remove unfit vehicles from the roads that emit poisonous smoke and improve air quality by 30 to 35 percent.

To make this system 100% transparent and foolproof, modern technology is being used at petrol pumps:

• Automatic Tracking with ANPR Cameras: Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are being installed at more than 1,000 fuel stations located in the districts of NCR. As soon as a vehicle enters the petrol pump lane, the camera will immediately scan its number plate.

• Live matching from transport portal: This system will be directly linked to the ‘Vehicle’ and ‘Transport PUC Portal’ of the Union Road Transport Ministry. The validity of the vehicle’s pollution certificate (Valid/Expired) will be displayed on the screen in a few seconds.

• Salesman App and Manual Checking: Till the high-tech cameras are fully activated at all small and big pumps, special mobile apps have been given to petrol pump personnel (salesmen). As soon as the vehicle number is entered at the pump, the pollution status will be displayed and if found invalid, the nozzle will be locked.

If your vehicle is caught running on the road or checked without a valid pollution certificate, then a fine will be levied directly on the driver or vehicle owner under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act. Penal challan of ₹10,000 Can be applied. Apart from this, there is also a legal provision for suspension of driving license for three months and imprisonment in serious cases.

According to Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddha Nagar Transport Department, currently there are more than 50,000 vehicles registered in both the districts whose PUCC has not been renewed for a long time. Apart from private cars and bikes, these also include old autos, goods vehicles and school buses. All these vehicle owners have been warned to update their certificates before the deadline of October 1.

Ghaziabad and Noida often top the list of the most polluted cities in the country during the winter months. Vehicular emissions from millions of vehicles plying here every day, dust from under-construction projects and smoke from stubble take the Air Quality Index (AQI) beyond 400 into the ‘severe’ category.

To deal with this crisis, in the high level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, instructions have been given to take advance steps even before the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) is implemented. About 135 petrol, diesel and CNG stations in Ghaziabad and all Noida-Greater Noida stations have been brought under the ambit of this strict protocol.

To avoid last minute hassles and hassles of not getting fuel at the pumps, drivers can renew their PUCC immediately:

1. Nearest Authorized Testing Centre: Visit the authorized pollution testing center located at any petrol pump in Noida, Ghaziabad or Delhi.

2. Testing Process: The center operator will check the levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons by placing a sensor pipe in the silencer of your vehicle and take live photos of the vehicle.

3. Online Generation: Once the verification is successful, the data will be directly uploaded to the government transport server and you will get an authorized digital receipt.

4. Digital Download: You can download the digital PUCC by visiting the official website of the transport service (parivahan.gov.in) and entering your registration number and last 5 digits of the chassis number or save it in your ‘mParivahan’ and ‘DigiLocker’ apps.

5. validity period: PUCC is generally valid for 1 year for new four-wheelers of BS-IV and BS-VI standards, while for old and other vehicles this period is 6 months.

• If you commute daily from Delhi to Noida, Greater Noida or Ghaziabad, check your vehicle documents today.

• Instead of relying only on the physical card, ensure that your PUCC record is showing ‘Active’ on the government transport portal.

• Avoid unnecessary debate at petrol pumps without PUCC after October 1, as the traffic police can also issue e-challan directly online based on the camera footage.